Somewhere I Belong
by freewater
Summary: Ami doesn't feel like she belongs in the scout group, until Pluto comes along with a mission meant especially for her. To go to another demension and save Mirai Trunks' life. Chapter fic, Chapter twelve is up! COMPLETE slight OOC
1. Prologue

Prologue:   
  
Ami quietly walked down the street, away from school with her briefcase held in front of her and her head held down. It was a beautiful sunny day, the rays from the sun seemed to dance around her short blue hair, giving it a nice highlighted look. But of course, she didn't notice the beautiful sunny sky with her deep blue eyes pointed down, just walking thinking about her life and it's purpose.   
  
What was her purpose? She felt bad to admit it, but she liked it a lot better when it was just her and Usagi out fighting all the monsters that would attack. A LOT better. At least in those short days she felt like she had a purpose. A real purpose. Now, with ten sailor senshi,(not including the starlights) what was she needed for? She is in fact the weakest member of the group. The only thing she was good for was locating weaknesses in monsters, and they don't even need her for that now that Rei had improved her fire reading abilities.   
  
Ami let out a sad sigh and continued to walk towards Rei's Temple. For some reason Setsuna had contacted all of them last night in their dreams and told them to meet up. It would be the first real scout meeting since Chaos was destroyed almost a year and a half ago. Even though the Guardian of the Time Gates said it was very important, Ami wasn't too worried. Even though she knew she should be.   
  
'What's the point?' She thought miserably to herself. "They don't need me there at all" She said aloud while turning up to the sky. Usagi had matured a lot since she had first become a sailor senshi, and it comforted Ami on some level that at least their princess needed her, and let her know it too. Usagi could act like a true blue blonde sometimes. Although she would never admit it to anyone, Ami was somewhat jealous of Usagi's long blonde hair which was always neatly done up in two buns on top of her head with a long stream of hair coming down from each one and ending at her knees.   
  
They had the same eye colour so there was nothing to be jealous of there. Ami gave a small smile while still staring at the sky and not watching where she was going. Unknown to the others, Usagi and Ami were a lot closer than they all thought. In fact you could almost call them best friends. Ami knew things about Usagi that no one else knew and Usagi knew things about Ami that no one else knew. Like how she really *didn't* like studying. It was just a force of habit that she had pounded into herself to get her mother to stop nagging at her. And how Ami didn't feel all that pretty by comparison to the other senshi.   
  
Sometimes she just felt like the lowest living thing on Earth and no one, not even her Okaasan who was always away working at the hospital seemed to care. Usagi told Ami everything. She was after all her first sailor senshi. That was the only real reason that she stuck around, because Usagi made her feel important in the group by confiding in her so much. While the others just started to ignore her almost completely.   
  
Ami smiled again, only this time it was deeper. Knowing some of the things about Usagi that would make the others drop dead of shock. Like how Usagi wasn't as stupid as Rei had always accused. In fact she had a brain that could keep even her challenged! It turns out that Usagi just knew everything they were teaching in school and wasn't being challenged enough. That's the real reason why she would fall asleep in class. Or how she was starting to grow away from Darien.  
  
Ami still wasn't looking where she was going and unfortunately bumped into an old lady, knocking her over. "Hey!! Watch where you're going!!" She sneered angrily. "Gomen, I wasn't watching where I was going" Ami quickly said and helped her up. She then ran off before the old lady who wasn't even hurt could yell at her some more. 'I can't believe it! I'm getting to be as bad as Usagi!' She thought to herself in amazement, but then a depressing thought occurred to her. 'I forgot, Usagi fakes it.' She let out another deep and depressed sigh before slowing to a walk again.   
  
Finally she made it to Rei's Temple without knocking anyone down and began to climb the steps. She wasn't worried about what Setsuna had to say, whatever it was. Chaos was said to be the last enemy they would fight before Crystal Tokyo emerges, and even if there is a new enemy the others would be able to handle it easily.   
  
"Hey, Ami!" she heard Usagi call. 'Well now this is a first.' Ami thought in a small state of shock. 'Even with Usagi faking being a total ditzt, I still should've made it here first. Oh well.' Usagi ran right up to her good friend, grabbed her hand and dragged her excitedly over to the group. "I can't believe that Setsuna is coming to see us!" She said in that bubbling cheerful way only she could pull off.   
  
"Usagi! Setsuna isn't coming for just a routine visit you know!" The raven hared priestess scolded. "She never leaves the Time Gate unless it's for an emergency you baka!" She was yelling now.   
  
"Rei why are you always picking on me!!" Usagi yelled before bursting out into tears that looked real. Ami saw Darien standing nearby with an expression on his face that said he didn't know whether or not to go and comfort her. She knew that they were growing apart, and at this point it was obvious to her that the only reason they were still together was Chibi-Usa. The others didn't seem to notice their change in behaviour towards one another though. Not even Chibi-Usa herself, who was in fact supposed to be their future daughter.   
  
She looked over to see Chibi-Usa standing near Darien and an interesting thought occurred to her. Darien had short black hair and blue eyes and Chibi-Usa had dark pink eyes with sugar pink hair. Where did she get that from. You would at least think she would have blue eyes like both of her parents.   
  
Ami, still seeing Darien not making any move, went over and put her arm around the sobbing princess's shoulder. She took one last look at Darien and saw him give her a grateful look for helping him. She wasn't angry at him for not comforting her, she understood completely. They just felt awkward around one another that's all.   
  
Ami glanced around and saw that everyone was here except for Haruka and Michiru. "Hey Minako," She called. "Where is Haruka and Michiru?" Minako looked at her somewhat confused before answering. "Don't you remember?" She said. "They went on vacation for their anniversary, and Hotaru is staying with Makoto."  
  
"Oh ya. I guess Setsuna didn't want to bother them." Ami thought out loud.   
  
"You know Ami, you should seriously take a brake from all that studying you do." Rei interrupted. "You're starting to forget all the simpler things, and if you keep that up you'll be just like Usagi" She said with a bit of an evil smirk. This made Usagi cry even harder.   
  
That did it. "You know Rei you really sicken me sometimes!!" Ami yelled before thinking. Everyone stoped what they were doing and just stared at her in shock. She couldn't really blame them, after all, she never did just blow up on anyone like that. She looked at Usagi and saw that she had even stopped crying and was giving her a grateful look for sticking up for her. 'Well, no turning back now.' She thought glumly to herself. "Rei you are suppose to be her friend and fellow senshi. Usagi is our leader and without her we would all be nothing and the Earth itself would have been destroyed many times!" She yelled unable to stop now that she had started. "Yet you are always teasing her and picking on her even though you know how badly it hurts her feelings!"   
  
"It's not my fault that she's an immature, irresponsible, whiner!" Rei interrupted not letting the surprise of Ami's outburst get to her. She did *not* like getting yelled at. She looked over and saw that Usagi was still tearing slightly. Couldn't she take a simple joke? "Besides there's no way that she could have saved the world all those times without us!!"   
  
"That doesn't matter! And even if Usagi is immature and irresponsible she is still young and is allowed to be, and from what we saw of Crystal Tokyo it's obviously something that she'll grow out of!"   
  
That caught Rei by surprise and left her speechless. She lowered her head suddenly ashamed of herself. Ami was right and she knew it. From what they saw of the future, Usagi was a responsible well behaved, well poised queen who was managing to keep the world beautiful and peaceful with Darien at her side. "I'm sorry Usagi." Rei whispered, and she really meant it too.   
  
"It's alright Rei." Usagi said, tears forgotten and a genuine smile on her face.   
  
"Well it's nice to see that you are all still friends." A familiar mystical voice behind them said softly. They all turned around to see Setsuna in her sailor uniform. Her dark green hair done up partially in a bun and the rest going down her back and ending just past her knees and (as usual) holding her staff in her right hand. It looked like a long thin, light purple skeleton key that was slightly taller than her with a red crystal ball on the top. She had a sad look on her face as she faced them.   
  
"Pluto!!" Chibi-Usa called out happily before running up to her. Sailor Pluto got down on one knee and hugged Chibi-Usa with her fee arm. "It's good to see you again Small Lady" She said warmly.   
  
"O.K. Pluto what's this all about? Why did you summon us for a scout meeting?" Makoto said, quickly getting to the point. Pluto let go of Chibi-Usa and stood up. "Yes Pluto, what's this all about?" Hotaru finished. "And why do you look so sad?" Pluto let out a deep sigh. "Before I can tell you anything I must take you all to the Time Gates." And without another word she turned around and with a flick of her wrist a portal opened up and she stepped through it.   
  
Chibi-Usa followed her immediately with Luna and Artemis at her heals, everyone else was somewhat hesitant about stepping through a pitch black portal, but eventually they all stepped one-by-one inside.   
  
When inside they all noticed that they were in their sailor uniforms, which was quite strange considering that none of them had transformed on their own. "Hey, why are we in our senshi uniforms?" Jupiter asked. "Ya, why?" Saturn finished.   
  
"Because I put you in them to save some time. There are too many of you and I want to get this done quickly. You're transformations would have taken too long." Pluto answered simply.   
  
Ami didn't really care how Pluto had the ability to change them all without them knowing it. It felt really good to be Sailor Mercury again. "I didn't know you had that power, Pluto." Eternal Sailor Moon said wonderingly. Pluto merely nodded. "So why are we all here?" Venus asked the question that was on everyone's mind.   
  
Once again Pluto let out a deep and sad sigh. "About six months ago. She began. I detected something strange in the time space. You are all fully aware that no one can go back and forth through time without my at least knowing about it?" She asked. Everyone nodded. "Well someone has been doing just that."   
  
Shock immediately ran through the entire group as well as a huge gasp from everyone. 'What does she mean? Someone's been going through time without her knowing it?' Mercury thought frantically.   
  
Pluto continued her story now that everyone seemed to have taken in what she had just said. "You see someone from another dimension has found a way to go back and forth through time without using the magic of a Time Key."   
  
"You mean," Mercury interrupted. "that someone has discovered a way to use technology to get through the Time Gate?" She just couldn't believe it. She had heard of the possibilities to create a machine that could travel through time, but never expected to hear about one that had been built let alone one that works!   
  
"It's not that simple Mercury." Pluto continued. "The machine that was built seemed to have bypassed the Time Gate completely. This person had already gone back and forth through time several times before I even noticed." Once again a series of gasps ran through the entire group.   
  
"What does this mean, Pluto?" Eternal Sailor Moon asked with worry in her voice. "Is it a new enemy? What is this person doing to time? Do we have a threat to our world? Why didn't you pick this up sooner?" Pluto had to cut her off before she got another question out. "I'm sorry that I didn't pick up on this sooner. As Guardian of the Gates I should be able to detect that kind movement no matter what dimension it happens in, but no one has ever found the technological formula to travel through time like that. I think that is why even I did not pick up on it. I didn't even know there was a formula to create a working time machine so I never worried about it. As to whether or not he is a threat, I can tell you that he isn't."  
  
"Oh so it's a he is it?" Venus said with a blush on her face at the prospect of meeting a new boy. Pluto just gave her a "Get-serious-or-else" look, and Venus immediately got serious. "I have done a check on this young mans past, present, and future. After seeing all of these horrible things, I immediately understood his reasons for going through time, that's what this is all about."   
  
  
  
"Who is he, Pluto?" Mercury asked curiously. The red crystal ball on top of Pluto's staff began to glow, and in front of them a projection of very handsome young man appeared. Mercury blushed almost instantly while Mars, Venus and Jupiter had hearts coming out of their eyes. "He's so cute!! Venus and Jupiter squealed in unison. 'Yes he is.' Mercury couldn't help but mentally agree.   
  
His hair was a lavender colour in some kind of mushroom cut. His eyes were so sad yet hard at the same time, as if he had seen Hell itself. He was wearing a black tanktop with a blue jean jacket with a peculiar symbol on the front. It looked like two C's. He was very muscular with baggy black pants and a sword strapped to his back. He looked about nineteen or twenty, the same age as all of them.   
  
'He is by far the most handsome man I have ever seen.' Mercury's blush got deeper at the realization of what she had just thought. "His world was torn up by death and destruction." Pluto said with a sad note in her voice. "He is the only fighter left in his world. A majority of his family, friends and fellow fighters all killed at a young age. He is like all of us you see." She explained. "He is a prince of a planet that has been dead for many years, he also has special abilities as well as the ability to change his appearance."   
  
The crystal ball on Pluto's staff began to glow again and the young mans hair changed from a lavender colour to a pure blonde that spiked up at the sides, his eyes also changed from their deep blue to a teal colour. At this point Mars, Venus and Jupiter were all drooling and the hearts in their eyes got bigger. "Wow, and he's a prince too!" Jupiter said dreamily.   
  
"You said that he was just like our girls, Pluto, but how come Artemis and I didn't know about him?" Asked Luna. Pluto looked at her a moment before answering. The two guardian cats had been so quiet up until now that she forgot they were even here. Finally she found her voice. "I have already told you, he if from another dimension and he has no counterpart of any kind in this world. In fact, the planet that he descended from never even existed in this world." Luna nodded in understanding.   
  
"So why has he been going back and forth through time?" Tuxedo Mask asked. Again the crystal on top of Pluto's staff glowed and another projection appeared above them. It was the image of the young man with his sword drawn. He was fighting and losing against two people. A woman with shoulder length blonde hair, and a man that looked a lot like her only with shoulder length black hair. Mercury then noticed something. 'No wonder he's losing! Those two are ganging up on him!' A surge of anger swept through her. She saw him up there defending innocent people, taking the beating of a lifetime and still getting up for more whenever they knocked him down, and all those two did was laugh at him!   
  
"These are two Androids, and they are the reason why he went back to the past in the first place. They had been terrorizing his world for years so he went back to the past to warn his family about them. They were all fighters so they trained hard and defeated the Androids. When he returned to the future he was strong enough to defeat them on his own and he did." Pluto explained.   
  
"Then why is this such an emergency if his world is peaceful again?" Artemis asked.  
  
"Because his world is not peaceful anymore," Pluto said. "In fact it has been completely destroyed." She finished sadly. No one could believe it. They had just watched that man defeat those two monsters and free his world. 'What could have happened?' Mercury thought frantically.  
  
As if reading everyone's mind, Pluto answered the question that no one had asked. "You see, these two Androids were the only threat to this world for almost twenty years, there was nothing else to try and fight against him. But in the past that he had travelled to, because of the changes made a new enemy showed up a mere seven years later, and even with all of the warriors alive and fighting they still managed to beat this creature by just barely. However because these two Androids were beaten so much later than the ones in this worlds past, it did not stop this creature from appearing anyway and destroying almost all life on this Earths counterpart. This young man is the only one left alive in this world. Not even animals are left."   
  
Everyone suddenly got very pale at hearing that. The idea that something could have so much power and be so evil was very scary. 'But.. What happened to that man?' Mercury worriedly thought.   
  
The projection above them suddenly changed without the need to voice her concern, and this time they all saw that young man trying hard to fight a big fat pink monster. That pink thing had an arrogant smirk on its ugly face. As if it enjoyed causing so much pain. Its eyes were squinted so tight Mercury had to wonder how it could see. The young man was covered in blood that was obviously his own considering that pink thing didn't even have a scratch on it. He was trying very hard to catch his breath and he looked very tired.   
  
"Hey, he needs help fighting that thing!" Jupiter yelled angrily.   
  
"The images you are seeing all happened a few weeks ago so there is nothing we can do for him now." Pluto explained sadly.   
  
They all returned their attention to the projection above them. The giant pink thing began to laugh at the man like he was some kind of joke. The man then seemed to lose it. He charged at the pink monster jumped up and kicked it hard in the face with so much speed the group could barely see it. He then landed back on his feet with the grace of a true professional fighter and punched it directly in the chest. The pink monster just smiled evilly. When they all took a closer look they could see that his fist was stuck in the monsters chest!  
  
"You go bye, bye now!" It said with an extremely annoying voice. If anyone had blinked they would have missed it, but a split second after the fat monster had said that, flaps of its skin had stretched out grabbing the young man preventing him from moving. "What are you doing!!" He yelled. "Let me go!!" He struggled against it but it was no use, he was stuck. Everyone watched in horror as that thing pulled him into his stomach and looked on as the young man slowly disappeared into it.   
  
"W-where did he go?" Mercury asked fearful for the young man's safety. "What did he do to him?"   
  
"He absorbed him," said Pluto calmly. "But he is still alive, Just being tortured." She said it as if that made everything all better, but Mercury could tell by the look in her eyes that these events disturbed her a grate deal. No one deserves that!   
  
"I have taken a look into this worlds future, and while this monster is very powerful it is also very stupid. In a few more weeks it will become bored of torturing this young man, and with no one else to kill, it will destroy the world for the fun of it. Not realizing that he is still on it, killing himself and the young man inside of him."   
  
"THAT'S NOT FAIR!!!" Everyone screamed in unison. "Pluto isn't there anything we can do to help him?" Chibi-Moon asked with tears in her eyes. "You said that this monster won't destroy his world for a few weeks now right?"   
  
"That's correct Small Lady." Pluto said. "You must all realize that both this creature and young man have the power to destroy entire planets if they wanted. But I have looked into this young mans heart and that is something he would never do. That is another reason why I wanted all of you here. If any of you think that he holds too much power and do not trust that he would try and do something to harm this world then say so." She then turned to Sailor Moon. "Usagi-Hime, in the long run the decision to bring him here is yours. If you also feel that someone with that kind of power could be a threat then tell me not to send help for him and I won't."   
  
Eternal Sailor Moon thought for a moment before asking: "Can't we just destroy the monster?"   
  
She shook her head. "No. I've already told you, that monster is too powerful. In fact it is stronger than all of us put together." She said seriously.   
  
Eternal Sailor Moon thought again before saying: "I trust you when you say that he has a kind heart, Pluto. Lets go and get him." Mercury let out a sigh of pure relief. The way Pluto had worded what kind of power he had, she had become afraid for a split second that Eternal Sailor Moon would say that it was too big of a risk.   
  
"So, Lets go and get him already!" Jupiter said as impatient as ever.   
  
"It does not work that way, Sailor Jupiter." Pluto said calmly. "Because this is in another dimension it will take more energy to send someone, so I can only send one person. And even then because of the energy required to get back, who I send will have to stay their for two weeks so that the young fighter can help by giving some of his own energy."   
  
At hearing that Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Chibi-Moon all ran up to Pluto practically begging to be the one she sent to save him. Mercury gave a light smile wondering who she would send. They not only wanted to meet him but danger or no danger whoever was sent would be spending two weeks alone with him. 'Saturn will most likely get picked because she is the second most powerful,' Mercury thought rationally. 'It can't be Sailor Moon she sends, it would be far too dangerous. If Saturn doesn't get picked because she is a little younger then it would probably be Jupiter that goes.'   
  
She glanced over at Pluto and the swarm of girls still begging to be the sent. Pluto just stood there, unmoving and quiet. Waiting for the chatter to stop. Soon it died down and Pluto looked at them all before saying: "Actually, I have already chosen who will go."  
  
"Really? Who?" Venus asked while impatiently tapping her foot. Pluto looked at Mercury with a light smirk on her face. "Mercury will be the one to go." She said with that same mystical voice.   
  
"WHAT?!?!" Everyone yelled in shock, including Mercury. Did she hear that correctly? Send her? Why? Why on Earth would Pluto think that she should go? She was the weakest member of the group, what good could she do?! These thoughts raced through her brain, trying desperately to find an answer, but unfortunately found none. She just stared at Pluto, with her mouth hung open in shock, wondering if the Gouldian of the Gates had gone mad. Everyone else with the exception of Sailor Moon was giving her that same dumbfounded look.  
  
"W-why?." Was all she could muster. "Ya, why?" Jupiter and Venus practically yelled at the same time. "I mean... It's just that...Well I'm stronger than Mercury is, so don't you think that you send me?" asked Jupiter with a hint of jealousy in her voice. "And what about us?" Mars demanded, speaking for herself while trying to make it sound like she wanted an equal chance for the others too. "Were strong too. Don't you think that it might be more of a danger to send Mercury?" Mercury winced slightly at hearing this. She knew that she was the weak one of the group but never thought that her "friends" would be the first to agree with this.   
  
'Do they really have so little faith in me?' She thought sadly. She looked over at Eternal Sailor Moon and was happy to see her giving her a confident smile. Knowing fully well what it's like to be criticized.   
  
"Have you all forgotten what I have told you?" Pluto said with a bit of anger in her voice at having her judgement questioned so soon after their princess just said that she trusted her word. "I have already explained that strength is of no value. Even if I could send all of you, the energy required to kill this monster would kill us all from the drain; and that's including if the starlights along with Neptune and Uranus were with us!"   
  
"Then why send me?" Mercury had to ask. Pluto smiled at her before saying: "because you will have the biggest advantage." She just gave her a puzzled look, so she continued. "It's your computer and visor as well as your power to create a fog to prevent enemies from seeing you. Also you must let that creature absorb you." She explained calmly.   
  
"WHAT!!!" Everybody yelled again. Pluto winced at the high pitched sound. How she wished they would stop yelling. "Let me explain." She said softly, trying to calm the now ballistic girls. "You must remember that, that young man is trapped inside of this monster, and for you to get him, Mercury you must first find this monster and convince it that you are worth absorbing. Now this creature has insides that are different from ours but are put together the same and are mainly made up of water." She explained while Mercury listened with interest. "If you were to freeze it from the inside you would be free to find the young man. All you would have to do after that would be to use one of your attacks and break out, create a fog and find safety until both you and he recover enough to use the new Time Key I will give you and get back."   
  
"That's easier said then done, Pluto." said Jupiter firmly still trying to convince her to let her instead of Mercury go.   
  
"Only the first part. That monster will eventually destroy itself along with the planet so no fighting will be necessary. Besides, if I were to send any of you then you might lose track of what the purpose of the mission is trying to get a date with him." At these words Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and Chibi-Moon all blushed a deep shade of red, knowing that she was right.   
  
"It's all settled then!" Sailor Moon said proudly. "Mercury goes!"   
  
"Wait a sec! I-I don't know if I can do this! I mean... I'm n-not even strong enough!" Mercury was stuttering now, unable to believe that she had been thrown in this so quickly. "I have already explained that you will have no real need to fight once you have the boy." Pluto said calmly with a look in her eyes that said she knew that she had won the argument before it had even started.  
  
"B-but I won't know my way around! A-and what if I can't find this thing before it destroys that world!" She said frantically. It's not that she didn't want to help him. It was just that if anything were to go wrong, and both of them get killed because of a mistake that she made, then she wouldn't be able to forgive herself!   
  
"I have already downloaded the map schematics of that world into your computer, and your visor will be able to detect the creature to within only a short distance. You have no need to worry, you will not make any mistakes." Pluto gave another deep sigh before continuing. "Mercury, I will not force you to go, but I will only send you and no one else. So if you feel that you are not a good enough fighter then just say no and I will send no one."   
  
Mercury's jaw had dropped in pure shock when she heard that. 'She wouldn't really let him die like that would she?' She though fearfully. 'No, that's not it at all. If I say 'no' then it will be as if *I* had killed him. Pluto is putting the guilt trip on me and it's working!' She began to twiddle her fingers and bite her lip, still trying to think if Pluto would actually go through with it and not send anyone should she say no. 'I can't say no and I know it!' She silently screamed st herself. 'I'm twenty chapters ahead in all of my classes, so I could go and it wouldn't even affect my grades.' She reasoned with herself. "Alright I'll go." She said slowly.   
  
"Alright Mercury!" Sailor Moon said, quickly hugging her. "I knew that you would see things my way." Pluto said smiling. She walked up to her and put her hand out. A small key that looked exactly like Chibi-Usa's appeared from nowhere in her hand. Only it had a silver instead of a gold chain and the Mercury symbol was on it. "I made this especially for you, and when you are done your mission I will not ask for it back."  
  
"You knew that I would say 'yes' from the start didn't you?" Mercury asked accusingly. Pluto smiled that strange mystical smile of hers and nodded her head.  
  
"Well, at least with Mercury going we know that he won't be taken when they get back." Venus said to Jupiter, not knowing how much they had just hurt her. She couldn't help but wince in slight pain when they said that. Sailor Moon saw this and decided to try and help. She hugged her friend close, as if saying goodbye and so no one could hear she whispered in Mercury's ear: "You make sure and nab him before coming home or else I'll be really mad!" Mercury smiled at hearing this and gladly returned the hug.   
  
Then a frightening thought occurred to her. "Pluto what about my Okaasan? She isn't home very much but she might notice that I'm gone for two weeks!"   
  
"Don't worry, Mercury. You're correct you're mother isn't home often. So when she does come home I will just brainwash her into thinking that you are at a study group." She said while waving her hand dismissively.   
  
'That makes sense.' Mercury thought, raising her eyebrows in slight surprise. Would anyone ever figure out the extent of her power?  
  
"Now then, everyone form a circle around Sailor Mercury and join hands." Pluto said, suddenly becoming very serious. Everyone did as she told them to do without question, and even Pluto got in the circle surrounding her.   
  
"Now concentrate all of your energy into her. This will be a huge energy strain so try and brace yourself for afterwards." Everyone was concentrating with all of their mind, body and soul. After a minute all of their tiara's had disappeared and were replaced with the glowing symbols of their planets.   
  
Mercury was also concentrating. Thoughts like: 'Please let me help him!' and 'Please don't let me mess up' were her most frequent thoughts as she silently prayed. Soon everyone including Mercury began to glow the colours that they represented, and the circular space that she was standing in also began to glow; it was as if the full moon itself were beneath her.   
  
"Now Sailor Mercury!" Pluto yelled above the noise. Mercury didn't even realize how loud the rising of their powers had gotten. "Hold up the key and shout as loud as you can: Dimension Key, Take me where I wish to be!!" Mercury held up the Dimension Key and shouted the words out as loud as she humanly possibly could, while her hair whipped about her head.   
  
Another circle of light also similar to the full moon appeared above her and she slowly started to float towards it. She was almost there when another thought occurred to her. It was something important that she should know but didn't. "Hey, Pluto!" She shouted while still rising in the air. "What's his name?" Pluto looked up and smiled through the wind. 'Baka!' She scolded herself. 'How could I forget?'   
  
"It's Trunks!" She yelled back. Mercury quickly nodded her head before disappearing into the light. Headed for another world.   
  
To Be Continued..............................  
  
So what did you all think? Did you like it? Review me please! 


	2. His Misery

Chapter One: His Misery:  
  
For as long as he could remember, there had been nothing but three things in his life. Fighting, suffering and death. When the rest of the fighters of his world were killed against Androids 17 and 18, he and his good friend... scratch that, his *only* friend Gohan, had unwillingly become Earths last defence. But then Gohan was killed by the Androids, and that left him all alone.  
  
Trunks took a look at his surroundings to see if anything had changed......Nope. Nothing ever did change in here. He only checked to keep his mind busy on something, *anything*. In fact in the time he had spent in this weird room he was sure that by now, if he were to find a way to escape, the look of this horrible place would forever be etched into his memory.   
  
It wasn't a normal prisoners cell. It didn't even have a door to keep prisoners in. The open space leading to the hallway was most likely just to tease him and show him what he could not have ever again. His freedom. The walls were uneven and rounded out in some spots. There was also a strange pink mist coming up from out of the ground. He'd tried so many times to get away, but when you're tied by your hands with stretched out pink flesh and dangling from the ceiling with your feet just inches from the ground, it would be more than a little hard to escape.   
  
Whenever he did struggle, that pink thing that the little ugly little green wizard had called Majin Buu, was always aware of it. Jolts of lightning and other powerful energies would fly down the pink flesh holding him, and hit him with so much force and pain it was as if #17 and #18 were teaming up on him all over again. The flesh was also always sucking out any excess energy he had. Even now to prevent him from flying or making any Ki blasts. He hated the idea that he didn't have his hands or sword to fight back with.   
  
He let out a small chuckle at that last part. He did have his sword, it had been swallowed along with him, it was just out of reach. Looking down he could just barely make it out beneath the haze. Another one of Majin Buu's sick games to try and tease him or provoke him into trying to get away. He couldn't do that though. He'd given up on escape a long time ago, and to try and get away now would only waste the little energy he had left as well as remind the stupid, fat, pink freak that he was there, causing him to torture him some more.   
  
Trunks didn't know how long he was there for. Never seeing the outside world and spending a majority of your time unconscious would have that effect on anyone. He risked another soft chuckle; not caring if Majin Buu was reminded of his presence anymore. It just seemed kind of funny that everything he had ever gone through, ever suffered for, was all for absolutely nothing. Years of fighting the Androids, of suffering at their hands, going into the past to warn everyone, dying, coming back to finally beat them, was all for nothing.   
  
Barely a year had gone by after the Androids had been defeated, people were rebuilding their homes, their lives, and a weird little creature called Bibidi showed up. Killing what few people there were left. When he finally did track him down, the ugly little imp actually had the nerve to *thank* him for destroying the Androids for him. Saying that he was in outer space the whole time, waiting for their destruction so that he could gather his energy without worrying that the Androids would destroy him and the large pink egg-thing that Majin Buu came out of.   
  
He laughed a little harder at the thought. (Trunks supposed that a lot of people must find stupid things to be funny right before they die.) After everything that had happened; Earths destruction had been entirely his fault. He had to destroy the Androids, but when he was finally done with that he let his guard down to help rebuild. Not noticing anything until coming home one day to find his kaasan turned to stone.   
  
He remembers what happened next as if it happened only five minutes ago. She was crouched in the corner of their kitchen, trying to shield her face with her arm. (At least that's what it looked like to him) He slowly went in for a closer look, not able to fully believe that what he was seeing was real. To see her face set in stone; it was obvious to him that she was very afraid right before this had happened. He reached out to gently touch her arm, tears of complete fear and agony running down his face. Then she just crumbled into dust.   
  
He had gone to great lengths to find what had done that to his mother after that. At first he wanted to go to the past again and wish her back to life, but after looking around he noticed that Capsule Corp had been turn upside down. It was as if a tornado had gone through the place and left almost nothing spared. What was worse, his Time Machine was destroyed. He couldn't get the dragon balls to wish back his mother, and he couldn't build another one without her help. He didn't even have the tools to fix it, they had been destroyed too.   
  
When he did track down the monsters that had trashed his home beyond repair, he demanded to know who had killed Bulma Briefs. Babidi ordered a giant red monster with horns coming out of its head named Dabura to answer. Dabura surprised him by pointing right at him and saying: "You killed her boy!"   
  
"What in the name of Kami are you talking about!" Trunks spat furiously. "I would never kill my own mother!"   
  
Dabura merely smirked, which annoyed Trunks beyond all reason. "Liston boy, I may have been the one who turned her into stone, but the creatures I do that to are always still alive. The only way she could be dead is if you touched her and her body crumbled." said Dabura, as calmly as if it were an everyday topic of discussion.   
  
That piece of information *really* slapped him in the face. He had killed his own mother? No, it couldn't be true. It just couldn't be.   
  
But it was true, he remembered touching her arm and watching in horror as she crumbled into fine dust. Trunks had only felt this much pain and hatred when his sensei Gohan was killed. He immediately brought out his sword and attacked Dabura so quickly that he didn't even have time to react. When he had brought down his sword on the red demon, slicing him in half, like what he had done to Freeza, he had never felt so much satisfaction in his life. Not even when he had killed the Androids.   
  
After he was done with Dabura, Bibidi thanked him for removing the Androids and turned his back on him as if he posed as no threat at all. That in itself was enough to throw Trunks over the edge. He quickly charged Bibidi, grabbed him by the neck of his turban, lifted him into the air and readied a Ki blast in his free hand. Bibidi screamed that it was too late to stop Majin Buu from awakening, and that if he were to die there would be no one to control him and Earth would be doomed, but Trunks wasn't listening. All he knew was that the only family he had left was dead, and this little green freak had helped to cause it. He fired his Ki blast on Bibidi, Disintegrating his body without so much as thinking twice.   
  
If this Majin Buu thing was a threat then he would handle it just like he did with the Androids. He did after all become a lot stronger upon his trip to the past. Right?   
  
He then went on a search for the place where Majin Buu was hidden, but to no avail found nothing. When Majin Buu did show himself, Trunks didn't know what had hit him. How could something be so purely evil and so powerful? Had he made another mistake when he killed Bibidi?.......No. It was better that he was killed. Otherwise he would just sick Majin Buu onto the people himself. No matter how hard Trunks fought, or how much he powered up, Majin Buu was too strong for him. Sometimes he just kicked him around like some kind of soccer ball.   
  
He remembers the last time he had seen sunlight was the day he had charged Majin Buu and got absorbed by him. He missed the daylight. Because he was inside of Majin Buu, he would sometimes be able to speak with him. At first he would try to persuade him to leave the people alone, and then he tried to reason with him, then he made threats which they both new he couldn't carry out in his current position. Finally after so many days of this, and Majin Buu had finally cornered the last of the humans, most of which were children, he begged. He actually begged him to spare at least the lives of the children, but no. He killed them all, and what's worse he made him watch. After that he started to torture him some more for daring to beg for something.   
  
Once, when his current torture session was over and done with, he decided to be brave enough and ask Majin Buu a question. "Why are you keeping me alive?" He said in a voice that was just barely above a whisper.   
  
"Because there no one left to pway wif." He said simply in a high pitched voice that sounded like it should belong to a child no more than two or three years old. That one really shocked him. He was only keeping him alive because he realized too late, that by killing everyone else he couldn't have fun torturing them. It sickened him to no end. He let out a series of very loud curses, threats and insults that Majin Buu didn't find very funny at all. An electric jolt quickly ran down his binds for punishment, and the last thing he could remember before passing out was screaming from all the pain inflicted on him.   
  
"Stupid, pink freak." Trunks muttered to himself bitterly. Unfortunately Majin Buu had heard that. "That not very nice!!" He sang out happily. "God Dammit!!" Trunks cursed a little louder than intended. He didn't think Majin Buu would hear him mumbling to himself. "Now I have to teach you a lesson!" He said it with so much pleasure in his voice that a Trunks couldn't help the chill that ran up his spine.   
  
Trunks knew what was coming now, and needless to say he *was* a little afraid. After all, who liked getting tortured? He started to breath heavily as he heard the energy blast charge up above him. It came down on him so fast that he couldn't even brace himself for it. If anyone were still alive in the world they would have shuddered at the scream he let out.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
********************************************************   
  
Unlike the slow rise into the light that would bring her into another world, the decent was somewhat different. Instead of landing a nice slow gentle landing, like Mercury would have preferred, she fell so fast that she couldn't even brace herself for the fall. Landing hard on her left foot, and twisting it painfully.   
  
While sitting on the street she took off her boot to have a look at it, and fortunately a quick inspection told her that her foot wasn't broken or sprained. It just hurt a lot from landing on it wrong and it might leave at deep bruise, but that was about it. Falling at a fast speed on hard street cement would do that to you.   
  
Mercury rested on the spot for a few minutes, putting her boot back on, and taking a look at her current surroundings. The place looked like complete Hell. 'No wonder that mans eyes were so sad.' She thought sadly at the sight of it all. It appeared as if she were in a city, but the place had definitely seen better days. It looked as though a twister had come through here. Skyscrapers were leaning over, trashed cars were everywhere, some overturned or on top of each other, and broken glass was laying everywhere. She was just lucky she didn't land in any of it.   
  
The town looked gloomy and dead. It was daytime, that much could be determined through the natural light she was getting, but the sun was nowhere to be seen. The sky was filled with miserable grey clouds and the only noises that could be heard was the faint whistling of the wind, giving an added "Ghost Town" effect.   
  
Mercury stood up to get her bearings. She shivered and began to rub her arms with her hands. It wasn't cold out, but the place did send a chill down your spine. 'I guess I should look around.' She thought to herself while sighing with the work ahead of her.   
  
"Now lets see," She said out loud while resting her chin on her fist supported by her other arm. "I suppose I should look at the map that Pluto downloaded into my visor for me." That said, she brought her hand up to her right ear, and using her thumb and index finger, pressed on her blue earing. A blue see- through visor quickly appeared over her eyes and just above her nose. She then pulled out her mini computer and began looking through her files. In no time at all, she found the city map.   
  
"Satan City? What a strange name." She said to herself while still looking through the map in front of her eyes. While still looking Mercury noticed something, this city was absolutely huge!! 'It must've been very prosperous before all of this happened.' She thought gloomily while still looking. Soon something else caught her eye. It was a large space of used land that could cover two whole neighbourhoods, but that isn't what caught her attention. It could have easily been a shopping mall or museum and Mercury wouldn't have given it a second glace. It was how the map was labelling it on the Map Legend. Two C's. Just like on that young mans jacket. 'Maybe I'll find something there that could help me.' She thought excitedly, She had barely been in this world for fifteen minutes and already she was making some progress.   
  
She did a quick scan of the area to find out where it was, and was pleased with the results that came up. She was less then ten blocks from this place and her computer wasn't picking up any sign of the pink creature. She then began her walk. Going slow at first to get a good look at her surroundings as well as to not hurt her foot even more, not taking her visor off either. If that thing was headed her way then she wanted to know it.   
  
Eventually the sheer quiet and creepiness of the city forced her to speed up somewhat. Mercury hadn't forgotten what Pluto said about this Earth. It was a dead planet aside from the man called Trunks and that monster that did this, but the place frightened her nonetheless. Pluto had shown them how powerful this creature was but the full impact of her statement had obviously not hit her until her arrival.   
  
She broke out into a run after ten minutes of speed walking, not caring about the pain shooting up and down her leg while she did this. 'I'm almost there just keep going!' She thought to herself, VERY glad that planet Mercury not only represented intelligence but speed as well.   
  
'Just one more block don't stop!' She couldn't help how afraid she was getting. The idea that so many people could be killed by just one monster frightened her terribly. "This was a mistake! Why did Pluto send me? I can't do this, I'm too weak!" She shouted to herself becoming really frantic really fast.   
  
She had never really faced a challenge without the others before, and the idea of a safe place to hide was more than just a little appealing at the current moment. It didn't matter what the place was. It could be an abandoned zoo for all she cared, as long as she could gather her thoughts and calm down without too much worry she would be happy.   
  
Mercury soon tuned a corner and found herself in front of a very large dome shaped building. It was a lot bigger then what the map originally let on. It was painted white with an orange stripe going across the centre, with a large hole near the top, but it was still standing. Around it were some dead trees and brown grass which covered the vast yard surrounding the area. It looked as if it had once been very beautiful. Across the top of what appeared to be the entrance, were large white letters. Some of them were missing, but it was obvious what it said. "Capsule Corporation." Mercury said aloud while putting away her visor, a light breeze ran through her hair when she said that .   
  
What a Capsule Corporation was she didn't know, but what she did know was that this place had something to do with her mission so she might as well check it out. She circled the compound with a slight limp, looking for a way in because the front doors were locked. Mercury was wishing with all her might that she didn't panic like she had back on the street. Now her foot hurt even worse than it had when she had fallen on it because of the run, so now she couldn't even jump into that hole in the roof if she wanted.   
  
About halfway around she found large broken window that she could climb through easily even with her foot hurt. Mercury walked up to the window and brushed off the remaining broken glass with her hand. She was glad that her sailor fuku included gloves so that she couldn't cut herself, but it still needed to be out of the way or else she could cut her legs or lose her grip and fall. She grabbed on to the edge of the window and hoisted herself over, ignoring the screaming protests of her foot as she landed in what appeared to be a very large kitchen, that looked like everything in it was made of stainless steel.   
  
Taking a look around she found that it was the same in here as it was outside. Trashed. The table was upside down with a leg missing, utensils and broken plates were all over the floor. There was also a very large and noticeable pile of dirt in the far corner that had been spread around a bit due to the wind. Something inside of her told her not to go near it. She walked over to the sink and decided to turn the cold water tap to see if it would work. 'Amazing. The water still works!' She thought gratefully to herself as she turned it off. She then checked the hot water tap, but it didn't give any hot water. 'Oh well.' She thought slightly bothered by it, but at least she had water.  
  
She began looking through the drawers that weren't smashed on the floor for some cloths. After the fifth try she found one full of clean cloths, and she then turned the tap back on and let the cold water soak through it before placing it on her foot. "That's better" She said aloud as the pain diminished slightly. Mercury hopped on over to one of the upturned chairs, grabbed it and set it down before taking a seat.   
  
In some of the drawers and cupboards she had looked through, she had found some canned foods. 'Even if this place doesn't have much to do with that young man it would still be good to stay here.' She thought rationally to herself.   
  
Mercury then pulled out her computer and visor again to check on the pink monster. She had been sitting there for a good half an hour, scanning the surrounding area, and that monster was still nowhere to be seen on her computer. She stood up, her foot felt much better now, and threw the cloth in the sink. "Guess I should take a look around if that thing won't show itself." She thought out loud.   
  
Mercury left the kitchen and began to walk down the hallway. There were many doors on either side, all spread out for the rooms inside, but there were still many. Most of them were locked, but for the ones that weren't, the insides looked completely cluttered up, with desks and boxes and papers everywhere. They looked like old offices that were being used for storage. Mainly weapons and medical supplies from what she had checked so far. 'At least I can use these things.' She thought with a smile on her face at all of her findings.   
  
This continued until she got to the third floor. It was arranged in an entirely different manor then downstairs. Things were still knocked over and broken, but it was obvious that these floors were meant for living and not working. There was even another kitchen that was twice the size as the one downstairs, and it defiantly looked as though a woman had decorated it.   
  
She continued on until she found a nicely decorated bedroom. It was large, with a queen sized bed in the centre with its back to the far wall. It wasn't as trashed in here as it was everywhere else. The carpet was a sea green colour and the walls were painted a nice sky blue. There was a walk-in closet on the far left and on the far right, on the other side of the bed, was a large elegant wooden dresser, covered with picture frames. Mercury walked over to the pictures and began to look through them curiously.  
  
The first one was of a man, with spiky black hair that went out of his head like a troll doll standing next to a woman, with green hair maybe only an inch shorter than him, holding a little baby. They were both in front of the Capsule Corp building. The man was looking at the child with a bit of a smirk on his face, while the woman was giving a genuine happy smile. 'This must have been their bedroom.' Mercury thought as she continued to look through all of the pictures. Some of them were knocked over or had broken frames, but the pictures in general were fine, and saw so many different people in them.   
  
A short bald man standing beside a tall man with spiky black hair that went out in all directions. He was holding a little boy who also had black hair that was mainly hidden under a hat with an orange ball with stars on his head, but the picture that *really* caught her attention was of that young man who she was sent to get. He was younger in this picture, probably not even fourteen years old yet, standing next to a man with only one arm, who looked to be in his mid twenties. They were both smiling and giving "Victory" signs for the camera.   
  
Tears began to swell up in Mercury's eyes. 'These must be the friends and family that Pluto had said he'd lost.' She thought sadly as she looked at them all. There were just so many of them, and this was his home. The man and woman in the first picture must be his mother and father. To have everything you love ripped away from you like that was just unthinkable! Mercury vowed then and there that she would set things right and save him from this awful place no matter what it took.   
  
Mercury quickly wiped the tears from her eyes, disgusted with herself for how she behaved earlier. She'd been so fearful barely an hour ago of nothing as she was running through the city, and she had wanted to prove to the others that she was strong. What a joke! When she found that pink monster she would NOT show any fear for the sake of that young man. Pluto wouldn't have chosen her to do this if she couldn't do it. Right?  
  
Mercury then left the bedroom and quietly closed the door behind her. She wouldn't go back in there. Those people may be long gone, but she would respect their memory and not trespass in a private room. She continued walking and eventually found another bedroom. It was furnished simply, with a blue carpet, a desk with a lamp and a singles bed. There were no pictures or any other sign that somebody used to occupy the room. 'Must be a guest room.' She thought. 'I think I'll sleep here while I'm staying.' She decided before leaving, making a mental note of where the room was in this huge building so as not to get lost.   
  
There was a small bathroom next to her room. At least she wouldn't have to worry about that. But right across from her room, a door was slightly open. Curious, she walked up to it and slowly pushed it open. The door made an eery creaking sound as it was being opened, probably for the first time in weeks. It was very dark inside, the curtains on the window directly in front of her were closed. Mercury walked inside and headed straight for the window, quickly tearing open the curtains to let some light in.   
  
From the looks of it another half hour or so, and the sun would be completely set. She turned to get a look at the room she was in. 'Must be Trunks's room.' She thought while taking in all of the male features of the place. There was no bed, only splinters and what looked like what had once been a plaid quilt torn into shreds behind the door. The carpet was a dark blue. There was a book shelf completely overfilled with all kinds of books next to the window. From horror and mysteries, to textbooks on everything from medicine to auto-mechanics. Some however had many pages or almost all of them missing from out of the books, with lots of book pages on the floor. There was a large black dresser on the other side of the window with a few drawers slightly open, with some T-shirts, tanktops and jeans hanging out. There was also a broken radio on top of it with some music tapes.   
  
Mercury soon left the room, not being able to take in much more. Quietly closing the door behind her, she leaned her back on it for a few minutes to think. 'Poor guy.' She thought to herself sadly, it just wasn't fair, he shouldn't of had to suffer like that.   
  
It was going to be dark out soon and it was too late to go out and search for that monster now, and if she waited until morning her foot should be completely better, with the help of her sailor healing powers. Hopefully that young man wasn't suffering and would be fine until she could find him.   
  
With regret, Mercury made her way to the room she had chosen for herself and powered down in to her regular form. She would need all the energy she could get for tomorrow. She took off her shoes and climbed into bed. Still unable to believe that something like this could happen in any world anywhere. Ami closed her eyes and tried to will herself to sleep. Praying that Trunks could hold out just a little longer until she found him.  
  
To Be Continued..........................  
  
A.N: So what do you all think so far? Am I doing a good job? Anyway to answer a question that I recieved in a review, I know that Majin Buu can't really kill himself by blowing up the planet, this is just something I'm putting in that no-one will really see until several chapters later. Hope you all liked it. Review me please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! plz, plz, plz!!!! ^_^ 


	3. Lost and Found

Disclaimer: I know, I'm bad! I've been forgetting to put these in! (Sweatdrop =P) But anyway I don't own DBZ and I don't own Sailor Moon. Those cartoons belong to rich people who I can only wish to be! Please don't sue me you will only get my pocket lint and some chump change.  
  
Thanks to all who reviewed me! Highly appreciated! And I hope you all like this one!   
  
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Chapter Two: Lost and Found  
  
Ami woke up early the next day with the gentle rays of the sun in her face. It was six a.m. She was an early riser, that and the fact that she had important matters to attend to caused her to get up immediately and without hesitation.  
  
She walked next door into the bathroom and ran the shower water. It was *very* cold. There was still no hot water so she had to be *really* quick. After about two minutes of it and she couldn't stand the cold any longer, she got out and immediately transformed back into Sailor Mercury.   
  
"Mercury Crystal Power!" She shouted with her hand and transformation pen in the air. Thankfully the sailor fuku's were always clean and looking new with every transformation, so at least she wouldn't have to worry about clean clothes. In a flash of sparkling blue colour, Ami changed back into Sailor Mercury.   
  
She then brought out her blue visor and computer, and began to search for the large pink monster that still held Trunks..........It wasn't on her radar scans. "Kuso! Where the hell is it!" She cried out as she was getting *more* than a little annoyed at it's absence, and not really caring about her choice of language either. It was bad enough that she had spent the night without so much as properly looking for that monster while Trunks was probably suffering, but now she had to wait even longer.   
  
She let out a tired sigh of defeat. Just then her stomach growled. 'Might as well get something to eat.' Mercury thought to herself. 'Then maybe I'll be able to think straight.'   
  
She headed downstairs and into the kitchen where she found all of the canned foods, mainly on the floor. After looking around, she found a fruit cocktail and decided that it would be good for breakfast. Mercury found a can opener and a spoon on the floor, ran them under the cold water to clean them off, opened the can and began to eat.   
  
She was leaning her back to the counter, and while eating she couldn't help but continually glance over at the dirt pile in the corner. It just made her nervous, and she was getting a strange vibe from it. 'What is it about that stupid dirt pile?' She thought while getting annoyed at herself for being so jumpy over nothing. 'Maybe I should clean it.' She thought. *'No, don't go near it!' * Her subconscious shouted sternly.   
  
Mercury just shrugged her shoulders and did as she was told. After a few minutes she checked her computer and visor again for any sign of the monster......Still nothing. She put her computer away but left her visor on and continued to eat. It was then she noticed how filthy the place was. 'I'll tidy this place up a bit until my scans can find that monster.' She decided while eyeing the trashed place with a hint of disgust. At least it would keep her occupied for a time.   
  
When Mercury was done she put the utensils that were on the floor into the sink and threw away all of the broken plates and drawers. She wanted the place to be a little clean for when she brought Trunks home. She then put everything that wasn't broken in its respective place. The table could be fixed later. She swept up a bit, being careful not to go near the pile of dirt since she continually got a strange vibe whenever she so much as went near it.  
  
When she was done cleaning the kitchen and the creature was still no where to be seen on her scans, she walked into one of the offices being used to storage, and grabbed a box full of bandages, needles, pain killers and peroxides. The things she would most likely need when she found Trunks.   
  
She then took it to his parents room. 'That room has a nice big bed that would be good for him to use if he's badly injured.' She thought to herself while still walking. Just because she thought that she shouldn't use it doesn't mean that Trunks shouldn't. It *was* the room his parents used to share after all. When she finally got there, she grabbed the doorknob and turned it, but it wouldn't open. Her eyebrows rose in slight confusion. She'd gotten in there easily enough the day before, what could be wrong?   
  
Mercury gently set the box down and grabbed the door handle again, this time putting some of her weight into it.....Still nothing. She kicked the door in frustration. "Stupid thing is jammed." She muttered angrily. She then remembered something. Looking down at the foot she used to kick the door she realized that it was the same one she had hurt the day before. She gave a small smile. 'At least my foot is all better.' she thought while trying to look on the bright side of things.  
  
Mercury sat down next to the box of medical supplies and began to think about what she would do. 'He can't go in his room, it's trashed. And I'm not putting him on a sofa if he's injured, and all of the other rooms are packed with too much stuff. I'd never be able to move all of those boxes by myself.' She thought gloomily. She brought up her legs, put her arms around them and rested her chin on her knees still thinking of what to do until the solution came to her.  
  
'I'll just have to put him in the room I picked for myself.' She decided. 'I can sleep on the sofa downstairs and he can have the bed.' That decided, she picked up her box of supplies and headed back for the guest bedroom and placed it gently on the floor next to the bed. Her visor still showed nothing so she continued to clean up in pure annoyance. Where in the name of Kami was it?!?  
  
Mercury was fully aware that she wasn't going to get the place looking brand new even if she had a full month of cleaning time, but she still tidied up as much as she could. She wasn't a neat freak, but the place looked too badly beat up for her to just leave it alone and live in for two weeks. This continued until about eleven thirty and there was still no sign of the monster on her scans.   
  
Sailor Mercury was well known for her patience, but enough was enough! No-one could be this patient when there was a life at stake. That thing could be on the other side of the world for all she cared! She was going out to look for it! It was better than just sitting around looking for things to occupy her mind on. Staying any longer than this with someone's life at stake would be enough to drive anyone insane!   
  
She dropped what she was doing and walked determinedly towards the front doors and unlocked them. She couldn't help but crack a grin. 'At least I won't have to climb through a broken window when I get back.' She thought in amusement, before continuing on down the sidewalk connected to the driveway.   
  
Mercury walked down the dead street as calmly as if she was taking an everyday morning stroll. There was *no* way that she was going to panic over nothing like she had done yesterday. That was by far the most embarrassing thing she could have ever done. Good thing there no-one around to see it. She continued to walk, keeping an even pace on the sidewalk with her hands behind her back, looking at all of the demolished houses. Some were only just barely still standing, while others were knocked over. With the roofs resting on lawns with pipes and broken boards laying all across their own respective lawns and even in the middle of the road in some cases. Mercury had even seen a bathtub sticking out of the concrete in the middle of a road.   
  
'Still no sign of that stupid monster.' Mercury thought bitterly after checking her visor for the five hundredth time. It was going on noon now, and she was getting more angered by the second. She continued her walk though, trying to be as patient as she could while still thinking about how that young man was probably still suffering. The only sound being made as she went was the gentle whistle of the wind passing through dead trees with their dead leaves.   
  
Mercury soon found herself walking passed a rather large church, with a look that said how beautiful it must've been before all this terror occured. It's parking lot was completely full, she guessed that it must have been due to the people knowing they were about to die and quickly running for the church to get in some last minute prayers to Kami for help. A sad thought, but it was most likely true.   
  
The bell from the belltower was smashed into the windshield of one of the cars, causing the back to be stick out in the air while the front of the car remained pinned into the ground. The large cross that *was* above the two main entrance doors, was currently on the front steps, completely smashed. "I wonder why there's no bodies around." She thought aloud to herself.   
  
Perhaps that thing absorbed everyone on the whole planet, like it did with that handsome young man, and they're all trapped inside of it!   
  
She quickly dismissed the ridiculous idea. If that were true then Pluto would have sent her to help everyone, not just Trunks. 'There's no animals to carry away or to eat at the dead bodies, so where are they?' She thought in confusion. Mercury was in no hurry to see her first dead body or anything. It just seemed a little strange that all of this wreckage was only a few weeks old and there was no sign that anyone had ever lived in this once proud looking city.   
  
She was quickly losing track of the time while she wandered around in her thoughts, about dead bodies and evil creatures who attack and kill without mercy. Back home they still had the odd monster that would appear every now and then to try and suck up some poor defenceless guys energy, but they still had enough power to destroy them easily. Here that young man, Trunks had enough power that could give Saturn and Pluto a run for their money, and yet he still wasn't strong enough to defeat the thing that had killed his world.   
  
Mercury didn't notice that she was now walking in the middle of downtown. 'How can anything be that powerful?' She thought to herself in awe. 'Hopefully I can just complete my mission and then get out of here!'   
  
When she finally did notice where she was, Mercury stopped and peered into one of the clothing store windows. Judging from the dolls modelling the clothes inside that were still standing, fashion wasn't to different in this world compared to hers. A small smile appeared on her lips. She would have to come back later and take a look when she had the time. If Minako or Usagi ever found out that she passed up the chance to bring them all back free souvenirs from a different world then she would *never* hear the end of it.   
  
"Maybe I should get some spare clothes for myself." Mercury thought aloud while still looking through the shop windows. After all, she couldn't stay in her Sailor uniform *all* the time!   
  
There was still one other thing that bothered her, she still wasn't too sure if she would be explaining to Trunks how her powers worked when she met him, let alone what she really looked like underneath her sailor fuku. Pluto hadn't told her what to do when it came down to that. 'Perhaps I should tell him.' She thought. 'He is just like us after all. He's royalty of a dead race, has the ability to change his appearance, and he has fighting skills.'  
  
Mercury had to give a soft chuckle at that last part. "O.K. so only Makoto and Haruka have the fighting skills that I'm thinking of, but the point still stands." She said out loud to herself.   
  
She didn't have time to think about anything else, when her visor suddenly turned red and began beeping in her face, giving her the location of the monster. She quickly brought out her computer and immediately began to do a scan of the area. Mercury gasped at what she saw. It wasn't even two full blocks from where she was standing! 'Boy, Pluto, when you say a short distance you really mean it!' She thought in shock while taking off at a run to where it was located.  
  
She was running fast in between the shops to save some time and distance, not wanting to lose the thing now that she had found it. Mercury suddenly came to an abrupt halt and looked up in both shock and fear on the sidewalk. There it was! Just floating there and doing nothing above the shopping mall.   
  
Mercury's brows came together in confusion as she put away her visor, wondering what it was doing. Not moving, arms crossed and it's back toward her. Just *floating* there! She remembered what Pluto had told her: "You must convince it that you are worth absorbing." She gulped in fear over the lump in her throat, wondering what horrible things would happen to her if she didn't get absorbed by it.   
  
Forcing *that* thought out of her head, she decided to continue on. "No time like the present." She whispered to herself, wanting to get this over with. She took off at another run and jumped easily onto the roof of a nearby candy store, landing in a kneeling position. It still hadn't noticed her.   
  
The parking lot of the shopping mall was full of different coloured cars, but that wouldn't help her in the jump required to get to the roof of the shopping mall. It was too far. She noticed all the lamp posts in the mall's parking lot that were still standing. 'Maybe I can use those.' She thought while walking up to the edge of the store roof.   
  
Mercury never did too much jumping around, so the idea of going such a far distance and having your aim to be *exact* or risk a serious injury did scare her a little. 'No time to think about that now.' She thought determinedly while trying to push thoughts of herself all battered and bruised on a hard concrete floor out of her head. She took a deep breath and positioned herself for the jump.   
  
She took her first great leap and thankfully, hit her target, landing safely on the top of the lamp post. She took another leap, and then another and another. Until finally she reached the mall rooftop.   
  
Mercury breathed a sigh of relief before she took a look above her, and she nearly did a double take to the ground! 'That thing still can't see that I'm here!' She thought somewhat angered at the monsters stupidity. It looked a whole lot bigger than what Pluto had shown them. Mercury noticed this now that she was so close to it.   
  
It was a round shape, wearing strange puffy white pants with a black vest and yellow gloves. It had a mean looking frown on its face too. Mercury's heart beat quickened as well as her breathing, suddenly remembering that this was the thing that killed everyone on this earth. 'Don't be a coward!' She inwardly shouted while mentally slapping herself out of the little trance she was working herself into.   
  
'I need to get its attention.' She thought to herself while realising there was only one way to do that. 'Only one way I can think of.' A sad smile appeared on her face as if this was the last thing she was ever going to do.   
  
"SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!!"   
  
She called out her attack aimed directly at the monster, but it didn't even flinch. Mercury put a lot of energy into that attack, and when the water she was spraying at it died down she was shocked to find that it was looking down directly at her, with a smile on its face that would shatter a mirror.   
  
"Looky!" It said excitedly. "Someone new to pway wiff!!" Mercury just barely managed to jump out of the way, as the pink monster swooped down at her and punched the spot that she had been standing in less than a second earlier. Leaving a deep crater in the roof. It slowly turned its head toward her with that same evil smile. Now *that* scared her!   
  
She fearfully gathered more of her energy and prepared for another attack. "MERCURY AQUA MIRAGE!"   
  
She yelled out loudly, as a blue ball with the Mercury symbol on it appeared in her hand. She quickly launched it at her attacker, and it was headed straight between his eyes until it simply raised its chubby arm and swiped it away like it was nothing at all!   
  
Mercury gasped in horror. 'That was one of my strongest attacks!' She thought while almost shaking in total fear. 'What am I up against?' she thought in disbelief.  
  
"You a funny lady!" The pink thing pointed at her and practically laughed while saying it. Mercury's face became set in a deep scowl, which was unusual even for her! 'There is *no* way I am going to back down from this!' She thought determinedly while getting ready to attack it again.   
  
"MERCURY AQUA RHAPSODY!!"   
  
A shining blue harp appeared in her hands from out of nowhere, and she began to play the strings professionally, causing streams of quickly moving pressured water to come out and attack the monster with each note that she played. Once again it just stood there as if she was doing no more than just shooting feathers at it, but this time something was different. She could see that it had a completely blank look on its face once the water had settled.   
  
Mercury was fully aware of how far the intelligence of the thing stretched, but she had never seen it look like that, even in the images that Pluto had shown to her and the others back home. "That very nice." It stated simply.   
  
Mercury looked at it in confusion, before suddenly understanding what it meant and looked down to the shining blue harp that was still in her hands. She smiled brightly as an idea came to her. 'Maybe I can use this to my advantage.' She thought happily. Perhaps she could trick it into absorbing her using her harp. She then brought her fingers up to the strings and began to play a soft song, not calling out an attack with it, just playing, and watching as the creature became more and more absorbed in the song.  
  
'I've heard about how music can calm the souls of even animals, but who would have thought that it would have worked on such an evil creature!' She thought, happy that something good was finally going her way. Mercury continued to play her song, keeping her gaze on the now relaxed monster who had taken a seat on the rooftop, listening to her melody in an almost trance like state. She couldn't help but crack a grin. This was getting to be too easy!  
  
"Do you like it?" She asked curiously. The monster just nodded it's ugly head for a response. Satisfied, Mercury immediately stopped playing, and the harp disappeared. *This* got the monsters attention pretty quick.   
  
"Why you stop?" It asked with a deep scowl on its face. "It's a real shame." She simply said, lowering her head as if saddened. "What is?" It asked in confusion.   
  
"Well, it's just that... no, it's nothing. Forget it." Mercury said trying to get on the monsters nerves. She was doing a very good job of it. "Tell me NOW!!" It demanded angrily. She could've sworn that she saw steam coming out of its ears in it's rage, but she just ignored it and continued on with her plan.  
  
"Well you see," Mercury began, a little nervous now that she had done such a good job of ticking the thing off. "I just need a safe place to play. My harp won't work unless I can have that, and because of the condition of the world I am having trouble finding one." She said, hoping the monster would fall for the stupid sounding lie.   
  
"What 'bout here? It working now." It asked.   
  
"Well, it's just that because of the damage you did to the planet, soon it will stop working even here." Mercury said, hoping that the monster was catching on to what she was hinting at. "That is unless you know of a place where I can play my songs? Somewhere safe?.....Where you can always hear me? Hmmm?"  
  
The pink thing smiled at hearing this. "I know somewhere!" He stated while jumping up in the air excitedly. Before Mercury could even blink, flaps of pink skin stretched out from its stomach grabbing her roughly, and quickly pulling her into its stomach. She didn't even have time to let out a yelp of surprise or fear at how fast it was.   
  
For a moment everything went black, and when Mercury woke up she was on a soft floor, in a strange looking pink room that looked as if it would collapse at any moment because of how rounded and crooked it looked. Mercury quickly got to her feet, seeing the mist surrounding her on the floor. She was very grateful that her blue boots went to the knees, not wanting to see what she was really standing in, much less what she was *laying* in not one minute ago. She put her hand up to her nose and kept it there. The room smelled like old laundry, and she couldn't help but crinkle her nose in disgust.  
  
"You can play now?" asked the monster from outside. Mercury gasped in surprise, and nearly jumped in the air in her shock. She didn't know that she would be able to speak with the thing from the inside of it. She quickly overcame her surprise. There was no time to for that right now. "Ya, I'll play now." She replied with a hint of ice in her voice.   
  
"MERCURY ICE BUBBLES FREEZE!!"   
  
The monster couldn't even defend itself against her attack, especially since it was from the inside. It's whole body was instantly turned to pink ice. Quickly bringing out her computer and visor again, she did a scan and was pleased to see that the creature was completely frozen from the inside out. It was unfortunate to see, however, that the rays of the sun outside gave her a time limit before the monster thawed out and had complete control again. Fifteen minutes to be exact.   
  
'Better than nothing.' she thought before heading towards the opening that led into an awkward looking and relatively BIG hallway. Mercury took no real time to look around though. She needed to find Trunks and get out of here before that creature woke up. Using her computer for a guide, she quickly found Trunk's location and headed in that direction. It was *really* cold.   
  
"You a mean lady!!" Screamed the monster. "That hurt!" Mercury was so startled that she nearly dropped her computer and almost slipped on the floor of ice. Evidently, the thing was still awake under the layer of ice she put it in. "Well it's not like you don't DESERVE IT!!" Mercury screamed back boldly while thinking of all the people it had killed.   
  
"You trick me! You pay now!!" Screamed the monster again furiously. Mercury was both a little surprised and afraid to hear the cracking sounds of the ice walls that she had created. It was trying to brake loose! Thankfully nothing happened, and the monster just let out a series of loud curses and insults, which sounded pretty funny, considering they came from a voice that could belong to a two year old.   
  
Mercury just chuckled softly and ignored the monster, who was now in a fit of rage, from that point on. She only had only ten minutes left before the creature thawed completely and took revenge on her for tricking it. She continued on though, going somewhat slowly yet as fast as she possibly could. The floor was covered in slippery ice, and she didn't want to fall.   
  
Thankfully she found Trunks within two or so minutes, and the sight he was in made her want to faint or cry or even do both! He was unconscious, Bleeding out of everywhere, and hanging from the ceiling!! Mercury was suddenly *very* glad for causing the heartless monster even a small amount of pain for what it did, and could only wish that she could do more.   
  
She quickly ran up to him, forgetting about the risk of falling as she looked him over in complete horror and worry. She didn't need to check him for a pulse. The steamed breath coming from his mouth was enough to tell her that he was indeed alive, but that's exactly what bothered her. On closer inspection, she could see him shivering in his unconscious state. His face was paled and his lips were blue, and the blood on him had turned to small trickles of ice that his own body heat couldn't even melt.   
  
'Ami, you stupid baka!' She shouted at herself angrily, and then called herself many other foul names for not thinking of what freezing the monster would truly cause. It almost made her cry, the idea that she was causing him more pain, even if it was for his own good in the long run. She reached up to try and grab at the binds that were holding him, but it was no use. He was too high up for her to reach that far even on her toes.   
  
Mercury quickly looked around the empty room, searching for something, *anything* that would help to get him down. Five minutes left, and the cracking of the ice walls she had created were telling her that she was running out of time fast! She walked around him, trying to see if there was anything she could get to let her reach his binds.   
  
Mercury suddenly stubbed her foot against something hard, and she quickly looked down, hoping it would be something she could use to help him. Looking beneath the haze on the ground, she could make out the outline of the sword she had seen the young man use in the clips Pluto had shown them. Smiling triumphantly, Mercury wasted no time in dislodging it from the ice, picking it up and buckling it around her.  
  
'This is perfect! I can reach the binds using this!' She thought, still smiling like an idiot. She brought out the long sword and with one quick and *careful* swipe, managed to cut his pink flesh binds. The monster outside screamed in what Mercury could've sworn was sheer pain in what she'd just done. 'Good.' She thought nastily as she quickly caught Trunks's heavy form.   
  
He was *so* heavy! It was still cold in there, but Mercury broke a sweat just standing with him. She put the sword away safely on her back to get a better grip on him, and then took off running as fast as her legs would carry her to a wall closest to the outside, not caring at all if she slipped and fell. She just had to get out of there before it could brake free from her spell.  
  
One minute left. "You not going to get out of here!!" Sang the monster happily, as it felt the ice around himself melt and get weaker. Mercury just ignored him as best as she could. She had gotten what she had came for, and now after all of this, there was no way she was going give up! Finally she reached an outer wall. Mercury didn't bother to put Trunks down as she called out her attack.   
  
"SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!!!"   
  
A giant hole blasted straight through Majin Buu's stomach, and he screamed out in the sheer pain and agony of it as the still frozen form of his insides smashed easily under the pressure. Mercury quickly jumped out of the cold and cruel creature that had killed this world, and into the sunlight and warmth of the outside, with Trunks's unconscious and heavy form still on her back.   
  
Due to the weight that came with her passenger however, she couldn't land on her feet as gracefully as normal, and she quickly lost her balance under the pressure and fell on her stomach. The cement road was hard and unforgiving as it painfully knocked the wind right out of her. She ignored it though, and quickly got to her feet, knowing that the monster would start looking for them at any second now, once it recovered from it's injury.   
  
"MERCURY BUBBLES BLAST!"  
  
A fog, that never looked so beautiful in all the times Mercury had used it appeared quickly as she called for it, providing the *much needed* cover against the monster that was currently in a rage for being tricked, stolen from and then attacked. She could still easily make out where it was due to her viser, and was very grateful to see that after it looked around for a moment and spotted nothing, it turned and headed in the opposite direction of both her and Capsule Corp.   
  
With a large sigh of pure relief, she turned around and went back towards the young man whom she rescued. She decided to take a moment to catch her breath before she took her heavy cargo the long walk back to Capsule Corp. She got down on her knees and gently rested the young mans head on her lap. Taking off her gloves, she did a quick inspection of his injuries. She was happy to see that a majority of the blood on him was not new. Just old blood, probably from some of the old and halfway healed wounds he'd had before he was captured by that heartless monster!   
  
A quick inspection from her computer scan said that while he had no infections, he was low on energy, and would definitely be weak for a while. Taking his hands into hers, she noted that he was still freezing cold. "I'm such an idiot." She thought dryly to herself out loud. Not one ounce of forgiveness in her voice for the wrong she felt she had done to him. In her haste to try and get him out of there, she only succeeded in hurting him more. She started to gently rub his hands, trying to bring some warmth back into them while not noticing the deep bruises that almost completely covered them. Even when he winced slightly in pain.   
  
She was also unaware that her fog was slowly beginning to disappear, not that it mattered since the pink monster was gone. When she felt she was done with his hands, Mercury brought her own hands to his cheeks to try and warm him there.   
  
She suddenly felt him stir and was shocked as he did. 'That's amazing!' She thought in slight disbelief. 'I'd have thought he'd be out of it for days!'   
  
"Hey, it's ok now." She whispered to him soothingly. "Everything is going to be fine now. You're safe."  
  
****************************************************   
  
Trunks was in a *lot* of pain... but he felt... safe. Cold.....but safe. For the fist time in a long time. He could feel his hands becoming warmer too, they were hurting like Hell though. Then that warmth spread to his cheeks. He was trying to move and trying to open his eyes...But it hurt like hell when he made the attempt.   
  
Then he could hear a wonderful voice. He couldn't make out too much of what was being said, but it was being said calmly and gently... soothingly. 'I must finally be dead.' He thought, happy and sad about it at the same time.   
  
He tried to think about what the voice had said again, ignoring the pain that it caused in his head. "...O.K. now..............s going t....... fine........u're safe." Trunks believed that voice. It was a beautiful voice. He wanted so much to open his eyes and see who it belonged to. After trying again with all his might, he finally managed to open his eyes.   
  
It was only just a little, but the pain the sun gave him almost killed him, *if* he wasn't already dead. Looking around, he wasn't prepared for what he saw. Eyes even bluer than his own looked down at him with a mixture of worry and amazement on the beautiful face of the owner. There was a fog like cloud surrounding them, but the sun had managed to sneak into a few spots. One of which was directly behind her, giving off an almost halo like appearance. She also wore some strange kind of jewellery on her forehead, and her sky blue hair highlighted her features perfectly.   
  
"Oh wow," Trunks said, in a voice just above a hoarse whisper. "A real live tenshi."   
  
"Tenshi?" She said in confusion. "But I'm not an angel." She stated to him softly.   
  
He didn't hear her though. Trunks had passed out again.  
  
To Be Continued...........................................  
  
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A.N: Once again I would like to thank everyone who is reviewing me, and I still hope to get many more. And to answer one of those reviews that I received from the second chapter, I would like to say thank you to that person for reading and telling me how much he/she enjoyed it. You see, this is not a fic that I'm just writing up and posting. Most of this is already done and posted on another site. But I never received any reviews for it, and we all know how that can be *very* uninspiring when writing.   
  
I actually did receive a review once to be truthful, but only after I stopped writing after the fourth chapter was up. I was planning on finishing it, but for the moment I just *stopped*. I then received an e-mail, asking me if I was done the story and just didn't post it, because he/she thought it was good and wanted to read the rest of it. Needless to say I was ecstatic! My very first review! I e-mailed back saying that it wasn't done, but still in progress and that I would try to finish it. It was just the lack of time I was having with my job. I then posted chapters five and six, but no more reviews came in. ;_;  
  
Soon I found this site and thought it was the best! I could post all my stories and people would tell me what they thought of it and where they noticed some mistakes that were being made. It makes things easier on an author to know that their work is actually being read and appreciated.   
  
Those six chapters on that other site are actually quite awful! Lots of spelling and grammar mistakes were made! Not to mention how awful I was with the descriptions! I was actually amazed that I wrote such a piece of garbage and that people could actually enjoy it =P It's also a lot longer than what I had expected it to be. I thought that it would be done at five chapters, but I guess I was wrong! Anyway I thought that I would take those chapters and correct the mistakes I found, and make the emotions seem more realistic for when I posted them here. That's why it's still taking some time to get these chapters up, because of the corrections that are needed.   
  
Anyway I'm rambling here, so to answer that person who reviewed me and said he/she was reading the story on that other site (you know who you are ^_^) Thank you. But Chapter seven won't get posted until I'm done with these corrections. Then I'll finish posting on both sites.   
  
Yes. It's hard to believe, but I really *am* still working on this and a chapter seven has been started quit some time ago, but once again the lack of time as well as the other stories that need attention have been taking away from the attention that this story needs. I'm not even halfway done that chapter yet! Sorry, but I'm just lazy I guess! =P  
  
Well this certainly was a *long* Authors Note!!!! that's all I got to say for now ^_~ Bye! 


	4. Awakening

Diclaimers: I do *NOT* Own DBZ or Sailor Moon, this is being written because I like writing. Please don't sue me!!  
  
Chapter Three: Awakening  
  
It took an awful lot of effort to carry Trunks all the way back to Capsule Corp. It was definitely hard work considering how much he weighed, and by the time she did get back she was covered in a full layer of sweat, but somehow Mercury had managed it.   
  
When inside, she went upstairs to the bedroom that she had decided should go to Trunks, and gently laid him down on the bed, she then took of the sword and leaned it up against the bedroom wall. That finished, she let out a sigh of pure relief.   
  
Her mission was accomplished! Well, she completed half of her mission anyway. She had gone to another world, faced that horrible monster, *and* saved Trunks all by herself. All that was left now was to survive the twelve and a half days that were left. That should be easy enough. Right? As long as that monster didn't find them, they were fine.   
  
Mercury then decided to change back into her normal form. She had used too much of her energy just going up against that thing, not to mention how much it physically drained her just carrying Trunks home. Mercury's body glowed a soft blue before she changed back into Ami.  
  
Ami looked down at Trunks' unconscious form. Noting how much dried blood and dirt was on him, she decided that he needed to be cleaned up. Getting down on her knees, she pulled the nearby box of medical supplies closer to her, *very* glad that she was studying to become a doctor.   
  
She opened the box and pulled out cotton swabs, needles, pain killers, peroxides, and bandages, placing them on the dresser next to the bed. Before putting the box away, Ami noticed something. At the bottom there was a small brown, leather bag. 'What's this?' She thought curiously once she saw it.   
  
She reached in and grabbed the tiny bag, opening it, she poured the contents on to the palm of her awaiting hand, and found two small green beans. Ami frowned in confusion, wondering what they were. They were in a box of medical supplies, but she had never seen anything like them in a medical book. Were they a simple candy? Or perhaps a medicine for something?   
  
Whatever they were, it was the most common sense anyone could have that you *never* take anything if you don't know what it is. Much less give it to someone else. Deciding to scan them later, when she found that she would be strong enough to turn back into Sailor Mercury, Ami merely sighed, put them back into the bag, and placed it into the top empty drawer next to the bed.   
  
Deciding that Trunks needed to have his wounds cleaned up before any infections set in, she then got up and went next door into the bathroom where she grabbed a handtowel and a cloth. She ran the cloth under the cold water until it was soaked, quickly ringing it out and leaving the handtowel dry, she went back into the next room.   
  
Ami put both towels on the dresser and walked over to the bed. He needed to be cleaned up, and needed a change of clothes. There was *NO* way she would remove his pants, despite the fact that he was probably wearing something underneath, but the jacket, tank top, boots and socks could go for now. Until she either found some clean clothes in his old room or at least until she got the ones he was wearing cleaned up.   
  
First she removed his boots. 'They shouldn't be on when he's in bed anyway.' She nervously thought as she removed them as gently as possible. Then came the socks. Ami then preceded over to the front of the bed and took off his jacket. 'God, I hope he doesn't wake up for this!' The tank top underneath had many rips and blood stains on it from lesser wounds on his chest. There was no point in trying to clean it. It would be thrown away.   
  
Ami tried hard not to gawk at his chest once it was revealed. Despite the small cuts, scrapes and bruises here and there, he was still gorgeously well built. She quickly shook herself out of the nice little trance she was getting into. 'Stop it already! You're here to help him!' She scolded herself before getting back to the task at hand.  
  
She placed her hands under his back and lifted him up enough for her sit behind him, his back leaning against her. Ami reached for the wet cloth and began to wipe the dried blood and dirt from his face. Some of the cuts he had were newer than she thought, because some of them had started to bleed again when she did this.  
  
Once his face was clean of the dirt and scabs, Ami reached over to the dresser and grabbed the peroxide and cotton swabs. She wet the cotton swabs with it and cleaned the newly opened cuts. Even in unconsciousness he flinched as the stuff touched his opened wounds, and made small sounds of pain in his sleep. "I'm sorry." She apologised, as if he could hear her. "But it has to be done."  
  
That finished, Ami cleaned off the rest of the blood and bandaged his head and face. She then noticed all of the cuts along his arms. They were deeper, but nothing that needed stiches. Taking the wet cloth again she began to clean off the dried blood from his arms.   
  
Thankfully, she had found that only the spots on his body that weren't originally covered, like his face and his lower arms, were covered in the small layer of dust. So she wouldn't need to give him a *full* cleaning. Ami blushed at the thought. Not that she would do it anyway! Studying to be a doctor or not, it wasn't proper, and what if woke up while she was doing that too! Ami shuddered at the thought of being so deeply embarrassed with a complete stranger.   
  
When she was done cleaning and bandaging his arms she finally noticed his hands. She couldn't help but give a small gasp of horror when she saw them. They were a colour somewhere in-between blue and purple, with *severe* bruising around the wrists!   
  
'How could I have not noticed this before! You would think I would've when I tried warming his hands from the freezing I had caused him!' She thought to herself in shock. She felt so terrible. Gently taking his hands into hers to look them over (She didn't notice that he flinched again at her touch), she found no cuts. It was just bruising caused by hanging in that position for so long, and the colour must've been due to lack of blood circulation in his hands.   
  
There was nothing she could do about it but wait for the bruising to go down and his circulation to return to normal, but she still felt bad. She was once again very glad with the idea that she had caused that pink monster at least *some* pain in return for the suffering that it had caused. Putting that thought out of her head, she gently placed his hands at his sides and continued to work.   
  
When finished with his bandages, Ami remembered about how he constantly flinched and gave soft cries of pain whenever she put the peroxide on his open cuts. So she grabbed one of the needles and gave him some pain killers with it. She then pulled the blanket over him to let him get some rest. Ami looked down at his sleeping form, feeling very proud of herself for what she had done today.   
  
She gave out a big yawn and stretched out her back. Looking towards the window, she was shocked to see the sun almost completely set. Fatigue had finally set in after her long day. Ami yawned again and made her way downstairs to that big couch she had seen earlier. Darkness was almost all around her at this point. She plopped herself down on it and fell asleep immediately.  
  
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Trunks woke up with a giant start, sometime in the middle of the night. It was so cold and yet, he was sweating from head to toe, as if it were the hottest day of the year. That dream had been so real. Was it even a dream? It was so real. That girl, she saved him? Where was he?   
  
He tried to look around and let his eyes adjust to the darkness of the room. It hurt trying to focus them, and he could still see practically nothing but a huge blur. He was as dizzy as hell too. There was no way he could tell that he was lying on a bed in a guest bedroom of his own house, much less if he were still hanging by his hands in Majin Buu's stomach.   
  
Trunks closed his eyes. It hurt too much to keep them open. He was about to pass out again, he could feel it. Laying back down on the pillow, he noticed something. He had laid *down*, and on a soft surface no less. He began to feel around with his hands. He was definitely on a bed. Bringing his hand up to the soreness on his temple, he felt a bandage wrapped around his head.  
  
He could have cried right then and there with how happy he felt. It was no dream. He was free of Majin Buu, and someone, whoever she was, was with him. Taking care of him. It was still freezing though, so he pulled the covers over him to get warm just before passing out again. Only this time, he wasn't screaming in pain before it happened, but was smiling.  
  
***************************************************************   
  
Ami woke up a little later than normal this particular morning, even though she had important matters to attend too. She hadn't realized how cold it could it get around here at night. When the sun finally started to come up and warm her, she couldn't resist staying asleep for at least a couple more hours. Even after that she was still exhausted. The first thing she did was check on Trunks in his room. She was surprised to open the door and find that he had been moving around in his sleep.   
  
She couldn't help but smile. This showed that he would be recovering fairly quick. She crept into the room as silently as possible so as not to wake him. If he was stirring in his sleep then he could probably wake up soon on his own. She went over to the bed and straightened out the sheets that were covering him and put his arm that was hanging over the bed, back under the blankets.   
  
Ami leaned over him and gently brushed his lavender bangs out of his face. She frowned when she did that because of what she found. He had been sweating in his sleep. That couldn't be too good. She would deal with it as soon as she got cleaned up. After all it wasn't to good to be treating a patient when you weren't clean.   
  
She stood up straight and looked him over. "Poor baby." She whispered sadly, he just looked so fragile with all those bandages on. Ami suddenly blushed a deep red with the realization of what she had just called him. She turned around and half ran out of the room and into the bathroom in complete embarrassment.   
  
When she was done with her shower she changed back into Sailor Mercury. She still had no clean clothes aside from the fuku that she wore, so she had to try and change quietly. Mercury walked back into Trunks' room, trying hard to keep her mind on important matters instead of what she had said earlier. 'Thank Kami you were asleep!' Mercury thought nervously.   
  
She then checked his bandages and temperature and was very pleased to see that he was healing as quickly she would if she were injured like that. 'He has fast healing powers too. This is great!' Mercury thought, unable to suppress the huge smile tugging on her lips. 'You will be up and about in no time at all!' She tiptoed back out of the room and closed the door gently behind her to let him rest.  
  
After eating, she tried to clean up a bit again. At least until it was time to change Trunks' bandages, but she got tired of this fairly quickly. The last thing she felt like doing was cleaning. "I'm sure he won't mind too much as long as some of the place isn't a wreck." Mercury said aloud to herself. She was too tired to do anything right now anyway. She was still short on the energy she had used the day before, and with the worst nights sleep ever, she could fall asleep standing!   
  
Mercury had to stay awake though. It wouldn't be good to leave Trunks alone for too long. She shouldn't have left him alone last night! While trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes, she headed back for Trunks' room where she had seen all of those books. Mercury liked to read, and not *all* of them could be ruined.   
  
She was severely disappointed, however, to find that they actually all *were* ruined. "Great." She said bitterly. What was she supposed to do now? "Oh well." She said miserably while grabbing a stool and leaving the room. She headed back to the guest bedroom and placed it next to the bed before plopping down.   
  
She looked over at Trunks' sleeping form. He hadn't moved. She rested her elbows on her knees and propped up her chin with her hands. She kept an eye on him for the next few hours. Getting up every now and then to stretch her legs. Trunks would stir in his sleep once in a while, but that was about it. "This is so stupid!" She said to herself, frowning.   
  
Mercury definitely needed something to occupy her mind. She felt like she would go insane if she didn't get anything to do soon. Then an idea occurred to her. Her face lit up immediately. 'Why didn't I think of this sooner?' She thought while sitting back down on the stool.  
  
"Mercury aqua rhapsody." She said in a not-so-loud voice, so she didn't disturb Trunks. The Mercury harp appeared in her hands in a flash of sparkling blue light. She looked over at Trunks to make sure that the light didn't wake him.....It didn't. Smiling to herself, Mercury started to play.   
  
It was just a little something that she had written a few years ago. Before she even had the power to make the harp appear. It was a long song, about love and sadness at the same time. Most people who heard would tell her how beautiful it was. One woman even cried after she was done playing. She smiled proudly to herself. Proud that she had written this. She hadn't played this song in such a long time, and she had missed it.  
  
*************************************************************  
  
'What's that sound?' Trunks groggily thought. At first he could barely hear it, but after a minute of listening the song became clearer. He could now hear every note that was being played, and only one thing entered his mind: 'This is beautiful.'   
  
He'd never heard anything quite like it before. It was strange for him to hear or see nice or beautiful things in his time. The song reminded him of the time he went to the past, and met his younger mother and sensei. And the time that he sat in a field with all of the squirrels and birds around without fear of the Androids for the first time.   
  
Trunks slowly opened his sore eyes, trying to adjust to the light in the room. He blinked a few times before looking around, and his eyes went wide with what he saw. 'Hey, I know this room!' He thought excitedly. 'I'm home!' His smile was wide with tears threatening to spill over his eyes, but he blinked them back. After all it wasn't good for a saiyan to cry, much less a grown man.  
  
Trunks looked over to where the sound was coming from next to his bed, and he was shocked with what he saw. It was that girl, the one who had saved him! She hadn't noticed he was awake yet. He kind of didn't want her to notice. If she did then she would most likely stop playing. He frowned at that thought. It didn't matter what she was doing. Curiosity eventually got the better of him and he just had to know who this angel was. 'Wait a minute. Angel? Oh no!' Trunks's face turned a deep shade of red at the memory of what he had called her. 'Great. She probably thinks I'm a nutcase, or really, *really* lonely!' He turned his head away and groaned in embarrassment, unaware that, that would get her attention.   
  
Mercury stopped playing and looked over at where Trunks was laying. "Oh, you're awake!" She said somewhat surprised. It was true, she did think earlier that he was making good progress in such a short time, but she didn't think he would wake up at the soft sound of her harp.   
  
Trunks didn't know he was holding his breath when he heard her speak. His face turned an even deeper shade of red. Due to both the embarrassment and the fact that he was holding his breath. He only started breathing again when she came up to the bed and placed her hand on his forehead. Thankfully he was able to release his breath as if he weren't holding it. Preventing him from embarrassing himself any further. He looked at her in the eye. 'Who are you?' He thought in both amazement and curiosity.  
  
"You don't have a fever." She stated. Trunks realized that was referring to his blush. She must have thought he was sick or something. When Trunks didn't answer her, Mercury became worried. "Can you hear me?" She asked, fearful that being inside of Majin Buu had some long term effects on him.  
  
'Answer her already, stupid!' He thought to himself, still trying to find the right answer for such and obvious question and make his mouth work at the same time. He merely nodded dumbly.   
  
"Can you speak?" She asked. He thought for a moment. Could he speak? He didn't know. The last time he had spoken, it hurt to do so, and even then he could barely hear it himself. 'Might as well find out.' Trunks thought. "Y-yes." It came out as a hoarse sound just above a whisper, and it hurt his throat too.   
  
He brought his hand up to his neck and began to feel around to make sure there was nothing wrong with it. Mercury noticed this. 'Must hurt for him to speak.' She thought. "Wait right there and I'll bring you some water." She turned to leave but before she theft the room there was a loud rumbling sound. Looking around in confusion, her eyes finally rested on Trunks' blushing face.  
  
She smiled warmly, realizing what it was. "I'll bring you something to eat too, and when I get back, I suppose you'll want an explanation?"   
  
His eyes widened slightly and he nodded. She turned for the door again but stopped before she hit the hallway. "By the way, my name is Mizuno, Ami." She said looking back at him. Trunks cleared his throat, his hand still on his neck. "B-briefs, Trunks." He croaked out. She smiled at him. "It's very good to meet you." She said. "I'll be right back."   
  
She turned around and left him alone in the room and Trunks laid his head back and squeezed his eyes closed. 'That went well,' He thought sarcastically. 'and you only had to embarrass yourself a couple of times before learning her name too!'  
  
Not ten minutes had passed before Ami returned with a tall glass of water and what looked like cold stew. "Um, I'm sorry but it's not hot." She apologized. "The stove isn't working. In fact, the only thing that does, for some reason, would be the cold water."   
  
"W-well, thank Kami for small miracles," Trunks said with a smile, finding his voice now. "a-and it's fine that it's cold, I can heat it up." Mercury looked at him confused as he took the bowl and place his bruised index finger in the stew that she had brought him. A look of concentration appeared on his face and his hand started to glow. "What are you-?"  
  
"Sshhh." Soon steam started to emerge from the bowl, and Trunks took his finger out and licked it clean before taking the spoon she had brought for him. "Thank you." he said.   
  
"Hey, how did you do that, Trunks-san?" Mercury asked, pointing at the bowl in his hands.  
  
"Well, you see, I can create Ki balls and other forms of heat energy using my own Ki. That's how I heated up the soup you brought for me." He explained while Mercury listened with great interest. "I can usually make small amounts of energy, like what you just saw, without concentrating very hard at all. I guess I'm still a little weak because of Majin Buu." He explained.  
  
'Majin Buu? Oh, that's what that thing is called!' Then another thought hit her. "Ki? What's that?" Mercury asked somewhat confused.   
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, Ami-san. Ki is a persons life force, and everyone and everything has it. With special training a person could control it to create attacks, fly, or even heat up cold soup." He quipped.   
  
"Oh, I see." She said. Mercury decided that she should probably tell him about herself and how her powers worked later on. He was a fighter just like her and her friends after all. She was also very interested in what he said about flying.   
  
She then watched in complete amazement, as Trunks practically inhaled the stew she had given him and then downed the water, all in less than sixty full seconds. "Wow, you sure are hungry. You could definitely give Usagi a run for her money on how fast you eat too." She practically laughed while saying this.   
  
"Sorry, but I haven't eaten in a long time." Trunks said with a fresh blush on his cheeks. He put the bowl, spoon and glass down on the small dresser next to the bed. Mercury frowned at hearing this. "How long has it been since you have eaten?" She asked.   
  
He thought for a moment. "I suppose it would have been... the morning when I was absorbed. " He was *really* Embarrassed now.   
  
"WHAT!!" She screamed in disbelief. Trunks winced, his throat might be a little dead at the moment but his saiyan hearing was working just fine. "B-but how could you have survived for so long? You couldn't have been hanging there like that the whole time you were there!" She stated in shock.   
  
"I was." He said simply, looking down to hide his embarrassment. "The whole time I was there I didn't move once." Trunks chanced a glance at her and saw the confused look on her face. He decided to explain. "You see, because I was hanging by some of Majin Buu's flesh, he was able to keep me alive by feeding me some of his own energy. He would almost never do it, though, and even then, keeping a person alive by Ki energy is different then actually eating."  
  
"I think I understand now." She said, still unable to believe the cruelty of that creature. "When I was inside I was able to speak with that thing as if it were right beside me. Could you do that too?" She asked.   
  
"Um... Hai." He said shyly. He then suddenly turned serious. "Hey, how did you get inside of him? I mean... I don't want to sound ungrateful or anything, but I know that there aren't any humans left. So where did you come from? And why did you help me?"   
  
It was Mercury's turn to blush now. Would he even believe her if she told him? "Well, I might as well start from the beginning." She started, twiddling her fingers nervously. "You see in this form my name isn't Ami, it's Sailor Mercury."   
  
"What do you mean "in this form"? You look like any normal human that I've met." He said while eyeing her curiously.   
  
"Well, here, let me show you." Mercury closed her eyes and willed the sailor suit away. In a flash of sparkling blue light, she became her normal self again. "Oh jeez!" Trunks said quickly turning away, and putting his hands up to his face.   
  
"What's the matter?" Ami asked, getting up from her chair. "Is something wrong?" She looked at his face to see that he was pinching his nose. "What's wrong with your nose?"   
  
"Don't you know?" Trunks asked, still trying to conceal his nosebleed.   
  
"Know what?" She asked in confusion.   
  
'That answers *that* question.' He thought. "Your clothes melted off of you when you did that." He tried to sound serious so as not to embarrass her too much, but embarrassing or not she had to know this. Who knows how many times she had done that in public unaware that she would become nude for a few seconds?   
  
"My clothes did what?" She asked in complete shock, unable to believe what she had just heard. 'No this must be some kind of joke, it must be!' The idea that she had just shown her body to someone she didn't even know made her feel completely ill.   
  
"I'm sorry, but they did." He said in a low tone, feeling sorry for how embarrassed she must feel.   
  
"And you saw me? With nothing on!?!" She asked still shocked. He nodded his head yes with his hand still holding his nose. "Oh my god!!" She practically ran to the other side of the room, hiding her face in her hands. "I'm sorry." Trunks said quickly. He wanted to help make things better for her. Showing yourself to a stranger wouldn't be something *anyone* would just do on a whim after all. "Look, it really isn't that big of a deal."   
  
"Oh, and I suppose that this is something people do on a regular basis around here, huh?" She was getting angry now. Not at Trunks, but at herself for changing into Sailor Mercury hundreds of times over and never noticing something like this. She had done it so many times in public too! The only thing she was grateful for at the moment was the fact that being a sailor solder was a secret and she had always transformed when no-one else was around. The others would definitely need to know this!   
  
Ami looked over at Trunks, and saw from the expression on his face that he thought all her anger was directed at him. She felt terrible now. At least he had the decency to tell her and not just let her continue to do that in front of him like an idiot. "I'm sorry, Trunks-san, I'm not angry at you. It's just that... well... I can't believe I never noticed before." She said, looking down to hide her shame.   
  
Trunks relaxed now, glad that she wasn't angry with him. Being raised by Bulma and always being around Chi-Chi had turned him into a definite momma's boy. No matter how much he hated to admit it, and force of habit caused him to cringe at the sight of an hysterical woman. "It's ok Ami-san. I'd be upset too if that had happened to me." He said now smiling to show her that it wasn't a big deal to him, and also to show her that he wouldn't hold anything against her.   
  
"We can just pretend that it never happened." He had now managed to stop the nosebleed. 'Thank kami!' He thought. He must've looked so stupid holding his nose like that.  
  
She then walked hesitantly over to the bedside and sat down by his knees. She gave him a weak smile. "Um... Thank you for telling me Trunks- san." Ami said softly. Trunks just smiled at her reassuringly. "No problem. Oh, and you don't have to call me Trunks-san. No one I know does that, so you can just call me Trunks if you want." Her smile got bigger when she heard that. She knew now that he wasn't going to make her feel awkward over what just happened. "Well then you should call me Ami, and not Ami-san. Alright?"   
  
He nodded his head cheerfully. "Alright."  
  
Ami sighed. "And now I suppose I should tell you why I'm here?" She said looking at him. Trunks nodded his head. She couldn't help but sigh again. This would be a *long* story to tell. "Well it all started about a thousand years ago-"  
  
*****************************************************************   
  
Trunks lay in bed that night thinking about what Ami had told him a few hours earlier. How she was from another dimension, and how she was a reincarnated princess, about her friends who were just like her, and about how her powers worked. But what really caught his attention was when she mentioned the one called Sailor Pluto, Guardian of the Gates of Time. He chuckled to himself at remembering *that* part of Ami's story.   
  
*Flashback*   
  
"I hope she's not mad at me. Because even if she is I would have gone back a thousand times over, with or without her permission to save them." He said getting defensive. "Pluto wasn't too happy when she found out about you, and how you had been going back and forth through time without her permission, but she did see your reasons and decided that you didn't deserve what Majin Buu was doing to you. And that's why I was sent." Ami half chuckled while explaining. "Well I'm glad she sent you." He said.   
  
*End Flashback*   
  
'You might as well have told her that your in love with her with the way you were acting!' Trunks thought sarcastically to himself while rolling his eyes. All in all he was very upset when Ami had told him that this world would be destroyed in a mere matter of days, but he was glad when she said that there was a place for him in her world.   
  
He thought about her world for a minute. She had said that it was basically the same as his, only Capsule Corp didn't exist. He would have to work on that when he got there. Trunks knew perfectly well that his mother loved the family company too much to let it die, so he would try and start Capsule Corp up when he had the time.   
  
He thought about Ami's story again. Her life was like one giant fairy tale. He had found it hard to believe what she was saying when she had mentioned Crystal Tokyo, and the little girl from that future, but all Ami had to do to make him believe her was mention that he had also in fact, gone to the past to tell others about the future. That shut him up almost immediately.   
  
It was hard to believe that all of the dead planets of his world were once inhabited in hers, and that Vegeta-sei never existed at all there. The moon was still around too, so he would have to watch out for that.   
  
Trunks hadn't shown anyone from the past this, but he *did* still have his tail. It was wrapped around his leg under his baggy pants, and he was very glad Ami didn't notice it when she was carrying him around town. He had to wonder if that Pluto lady had known that he had one. From what Ami had said, she and her friends would go off and fight all kinds of strange looking monsters and demons. 'Would she think that I'm a demon if she knew that I had this?' He thought to himself uncertainly.   
  
Then an even scarier thought occurred to him. 'What would happen if I were to accidentally change into an Oozaru in her world? I could hurt a lot of people, and that girl Ami said was their leader and princess would probably destroy me, AND even if I were to survive that, I could never live a normal life if *that* were to happen.' Trunks groaned at his dilemma. He didn't want to have to cut off his tail just to go to a place where he could be happy.   
  
He remembered how Gohan had told him about what it did to your balance, as well as the fact of how much it hurt. But those weren't the only reasons. He would always have people tell him about how much he looked like his father, but... his tail just proved it. Trunks' tail proved that he was Vegeta's son, and he was proud of it. "I'll just have to make sure that I never see the full moon." He decided out loud to himself.   
  
As to whether or not he would tell Ami about his tail and what he would become, should he by accident, see the full moon........well... he would decide on what to do about that in the morning.  
  
To Be Continued....................  
  
A.N: Thanks to all who are reviewing me! I really appreaciate your thoughts and opinions! Keep em coming!  
  
So what do you all think of this chapter? Did it suck? Did you like it? Please review! ^_^ 


	5. Getting To Know You

Diclaimer: I do not own these characters. They belong to very rich people in Japan. Get your lawyers away from me before I bust out my whip! lol  
  
Chapter Four: Getting To Know You   
  
Chibi-Usa lay on her bed in her dark room at home, staring up at the ceiling in deep thought. It was 12:30 a.m. She should be asleep right now, but she couldn't help but worry about Ami in that world that she had gone to. That plus the fact that she would be alone with only one other decent person in the world to help her against that monster, should it decide to attack, wasn't helping to ease her thoughts.  
  
She wasn't worried that Trunks would hurt her or anything. In fact, she remembered the stories that were told about him and his dead world from her own time. Many of those stories she had just overheard. No-one liked to speak about it. It was just too sad, but the subject did come up once or twice.   
  
When Chibi-Usa had asked her father about it, he'd told her about how good a fighter Trunks was, and what happened to him shortly after he had arrived in their world.   
  
She'd seen some pictures of him when he was around the age he is now, with the others, but for some reason she didn't immediately recognise him when Pluto had shown them those images of his world. She definitely had a blonde moment that day if she didn't know that it was him.   
  
*Flashback*  
  
Everyone was on the floor of the time room, trying to catch their breath. Some were lying down while others were barely managing to sit up straight. Pluto wasn't kidding when she'd said that sending only one person would be an energy strain. Even she was having some trouble standing, and had to lean on her key shaped staff for support.   
  
Slowly everyone had gotten to their feet and changed back into their normal forms. Pluto then used the small amount of energy she had left to make a portal back to the Hikawa Temple. That done she changed back into Setstuna, and slowly followed everyone outside. She would need at least an hour of rest before she had enough energy to go back to the Time Gates in her sailor outfit.   
  
"Everyone come inside and get some tea. You too Setsuna, you'll need your strength to get back to the Time Gates." Rei said while motioning for everyone to follow her. The sun hadn't even set yet, but everyone was so tired they could've collapsed right there on the hard cement, but they still managed to pull themselves to the Temple.   
  
Setsuna was about to follow until Chibi-Usa grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Setsuna, I need to talk to you." She said urgently.   
  
She just gave the small princess a puzzled look. "What do you need to speak to me for?" She asked in that calm and soothing tone only she and her mother could pull off.   
  
Chibi-Usa decided to get to the point quick before the others came back. "When Mercury was going into that portal, she asked what that mans name was, and you said it was Trunks, right?"  
  
"Yes?" Setsuna asked, a sinking feeling that she knew where this conversation was going.   
  
"You didn't mean Trunks Briefs, did you?" She asked almost fearfully.  
  
Setsuna sighed in disappointment. She had hoped that maybe Chibi-Usa wouldn't know about the stories of what happened to Trunks from her own time. "Yes, aino-chan, that's who I was talking about." She said quietly with regret in her voice.   
  
Chibi-Usa slowly lowered her head, the sadness engulfing her. That was a terrible thing to happen to Trunks, and worst of all, Setsuna would have to be the one to do it too. She looked up at the senshi whom she admired so much with pleading eyes, silently begging for her to do something, *anything* she could to change what was to come.   
  
Setsuna caught that look, and shook her head sadly as she knew what the pink haired girl was asking for. She knelt down to bring the young princess's eyes level with her own. "You know about what will happen, and you also know that it *must* happen." She said, regret showing clearly in her voice. "And therefore it is very important that you tell *no-one* about it, and let things go as they were intended. There is *no* way to prevent this. Understand?"   
  
She nodded her head slowly, admitting defeat. Chibi-Usa not only knew about the stories, but she was also fully aware that what happened, *had* to happen. Otherwise, her mother, father and the rest of the senshi would all die before Crystal Tokyo would even exist. Before *she* would even exist, but hope had still not eluded her. Perhaps she could find some tell-tale signs that would allow Crystal Tokyo to exist without sacrificing Trunks.   
  
*End Flashback*  
  
It had only been a few days since then, and Chibi-Usa was still having trouble finding a way to help the situation. Maybe Setsuna was right, but then again, maybe she was wrong. She couldn't know everything. Right?   
  
Frustrated with how things were going, she turned to her side and tried without too much luck to go to sleep.  
  
******************************************************************  
  
Ami and Trunks got along splendidly, but she went back to being the shy timid girl that most people knew her as when she was around Trunks. She was always like that, being shy and *extremely* polite around people she didn't know. Not to mention the fact that her finding out the embarrassing little detail of the sailor transformation still plagued her mind. Whether or not Trunks said they should forget it.   
  
She would have to find a good lie to tell the others about how she had found out that their clothes melted off of them when they transformed, without cluing them in to *how* she found out.   
  
Even though he was almost fully healed, Ami refused to let him leave bed. Trunks tried everything he could think of to get her to stop worrying, but nothing worked. Eventually nature called and he convinced her that it was safe for him to go across the hall and in to the bathroom. He also told her that he would have a bath and change his own bandages so she wouldn't have to.  
  
He knew that she had sponge bathed him from the waist up when he was unconscious, but he didn't tell her that he knew. They'd both suffered enough embarrassment the day before. It was pretty obvious that, that's what she had done considering the bandages on his chest and arms and the fact that his legs were somewhat dirtier and untouched.   
  
Trunks chuckled when he found out. Half out of amusement that she had gotten shy and didn't do it and half out of nervous relief that she *hadn't* done it.   
  
When finished with his bath he headed for the guest room to find that Ami had put a clean change of clothes from his old room on to the bed, along with some new bandage wraps. He could also hear her with his extra sensitive hearing, downstairs trying to make something to eat.   
  
'Man, she thinks of everything.' Trunks thought with a smile. He was glad that she was getting out something to eat. He'd eaten that one bowl of stew yesterday pretty quickly, but it was still only *one* bowl. Being inside of Majin Buu for so long and surviving off of the small amounts of Ki that he would give him didn't help his appetite much once he had some real food for the first time in weeks, and that's pretty amazing considering his Saiyan heritage. Today he was ready to devour an entire heard of elephants.   
  
Once he finished getting dressed and changing his bandages, he decided to go downstairs and help Ami with what she was doing. Trunks didn't feel right about letting her do so much work around his own house (He noticed all the cleaning that was done) just for him, and he didn't want to be a bother either.   
  
Ami was still working in the kitchen. There wasn't to much you could really make out of canned foods that could pass for a decent meal, but it was good enough. It was also a real lucky break that Trunks could use his powers to heat up the food he ate or water for his bath, so she wasn't too worried about what cold food or water would do to his health anymore, and he was recovering faster than she had ever seen anyone in her whole life. She was sure that with all that he was put through, not even Sailor Moon could heal as fast as he was on her own.   
  
Her attention was drawn back to the large dirt pile in the corner. She sighed at the sight of it. 'It's just a stupid dirt pile, and it shouldn't be there anyway.' Thought Ami while trying not to remember all the weird vibes that she got from it. 'I'll just clean it anyway, it's making the room look filthy!' That decide she got out a small garbage bin, broom and dust pan and began to pick it up off of the floor. She was just about to throw the first dust pan full into the garbage until she was stopped.   
  
"Hey, don't do that!" Ami was so startled that she nearly dropped the dust pan she was holding.   
  
She obviously knew who had yelled at her, but she couldn't figure out why he had done it. What had she done wrong? She slowly turned around with the dust pan still in hand, to face a very pale looking Trunks in the door way.   
  
"W-what's wrong, Trunks? What did I do?" She asked, but he didn't answer. Instead he turned his head to face where the rest of the dirt pile was.   
  
Ami was shocked to see tears quickly forming in his eyes, but he wouldn't let them fall. He turned to face her again. "Don't throw that away. You don't know what that is." He clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white at his sides.   
  
Ami didn't know what to do now. What was this stuff? Was it dangerous? Was it some kind of powdered chemical that could hurt her? Still confused, she just carefully put the dust pan on the floor and took a step away from it.   
  
She then looked back up at Trunks, he was looking at the dirt pile again, and his hands were bleeding from digging his nails into them. "H-how could I?" He choked out in barley a whisper. Ami just looked at him in confusion. "How could I forget?" He said to himself the tears running freely down his face now.   
  
Ami slowly walked up to him and made him unclench his fists before putting her hands on his cheeks so that he would look at her. "What's wrong Trunks?" She asked him softly. She was looking up at him directly in the eyes now, and the despair that she saw made her want to cry too.   
  
"One of the monsters that attacked, had the power to turn people into stone." He whispered so low that she could barley hear it. "My mother was one of them." He continued, turning his face away to look at the pile of dirt again. "When I touched her arm she crumbled into to dust." He faced Ami again, and saw the horror written on her face.   
  
"Oh my Kami!" She said, shocked to find that those had been human remains that she nearly threw away into the garbage without a second thought. What was worse, they were the remains of Trunks' mother.   
  
Ami quickly wrapped her arms around him in a hug, trying to comfort him while he wept for his family. They slowly made their way into the living room where they sat on the couch that she had spent the night on. He wasn't making any sounds, but the tears on his face were enough to show his pain. It wasn't fair that this had to happen. Ami didn't get along with her own mother well at all, but if she were to die... she didn't even want to think about that!   
  
She continued to hold him while not knowing what else to do, whispering soothing and comforting words to him. Eventually he hugged her back. This Ami was glad for. It would help him out more if he accepted what she was offering him.   
  
"Thank you." Trunks whispered when he stopped crying about ten minutes later. He was somewhat ashamed to have been crying like that in front of her, but he knew that she would understand him mourning for his mother. Even if he hadn't known her that long. "Anytime, Trunks." She said giving him a comforting smile.   
  
"I need to figure out what to do with her." He said quietly while letting her go.   
  
She thought for a moment about how she could help him. "You can spread her ashes." Ami finally suggested.   
  
His brow came together in confusion. "What do you mean?"   
  
"If there was anyplace that your mother liked to go to in particular, you could spread her ashes there. As a way of letting her spirit be free to be in a place that she loves." She explained, hoping that he would like the idea.   
  
Trunks thought about that for a moment. "I should take her to Chi-Chi's house then." He decided.  
  
Ami looked up at him somewhat confused. "Um... who is Chi-Chi?" She asked.   
  
Trunks smiled lightly at the memory of the woman who was like a second mother to him, always bugging him to study when Gohan wasn't around and always gossiping with his own mother about everything she could in order to get their minds off the Androids. "Chi-Chi was my mothers best friend and wife of Goku, her other good friend and most powerful fighter in the Universe. She lived in a small cottage outside of the Black Forest. We spent a lot of time there when she was still alive and when I wasn't out fighting so much." He explained.  
  
Ami smiled at him warmly. "That sounds like the perfect spot."  
  
**************************************************************   
  
It didn't take long for Trunks to get to Chi-Chi's house with his mothers remains and Mercury riding on his back. What took a long time was the argument that he and Ami had as to whether or not she should go.   
  
Ami argued that he was still a little weak and would need help if Majin Buu were to see him and attack. Trunks argued that he was a better fighter than she was and could take care of himself without her help. She then made a sarcastic remark about how he had managed to escape from Majin Buu's stomach all on his own, and that was it. She won the argument.   
  
Ami went into the other room and changed into Sailor Mercury coming back out with a huge smile on her face for winning. Next they found a fairly average sized plant pot and put Bulma's remains in it.   
  
Trunks smiled, remembering how tightly Mercury had held on to him when he took off. Evidently she was a little afraid of heights. When they got to the small house they were both surprised to find the Black Forest still untouched, with green grass and flowers still growing around the graves of all the Z-senshi.   
  
Chi-Chi had Goku buried (Naturally) near the house in the forest, with a small shrine with the turtle symbol on it. It just seemed natural to put the rest of the fighters to rest here when they all died. Even his father.   
  
When he asked his mother about it, she merely said that the androids preferred to attack places that were more populated, so they left the forest alone unaware that Chi-Chi lived there, and that meant that the graves would safe.  
  
It was only a five, mabe ten minute walk to where they all were, and when they got there Trunks gently spread the ashes neatly over his fathers grave, hoping that's what she would have wanted. He shed a few more tears for his mother, and some for his father. They were together again in Other World at least.   
  
Mercury wanted to say something that would help, but what could she say? What would anyone say that would make it all better? His whole family was dead. What could she do that would take away the pain?   
  
"Um... can I be alone for a few minutes?" Trunks asked quietly.   
  
Mercury looked up at him, surprised for speaking. "Ya, sure." She said while turning around and walking away slowly. She kept only a small distance away in the background where he couldn't see, she wanted to keep him in her sights and make sure that he was ok.   
  
He sat down cross-legged in front of the graves and closed his eyes in meditation, or in prayer, Mercury couldn't tell, and he took in deep breaths to calm himself down. Mercury sighed. He would be fine if she left him alone for a few minutes. She turned to leave him completely alone this time. She wanted to check out the surrounding area anyway.   
  
Trunks let out a sigh of relief when she left. He could sense that she was keeping an eye on him in the shadows, probably to make sure he was ok. Which he wasn't. He was so afraid of embarrassing himself and breaking down in front of her.   
  
His eyes scanned the graves over one by one, and he couldn't help the tears that now flowed freely down his face. He had met them all when he had gone to the past, met his father, his mentor and Goku. They were all alive and well in that other world that his time machine had created, but here they were all dead and gone.   
  
He missed them so much, even if they weren't exactly his family, and now he had failed them completely, in both worlds. What would his father think of him? Would he be ashamed to call him his son with how miserably he'd failed? These thoughts didn't help him out too much, and the tears just came harder.   
  
*******************************************************  
  
Mercury walked around the backyard of the small house. The grass needed to be cut and the bushes trimmed, but it still had the look of a garden that was once so well taken care of that it would put Eden itself to shame. She bent down and carefully took one of the pink roses in her gloved hands and smelled the sweet scent that it gave her.   
  
Suddenly a flash of negativity crossed her senses. She got up quickly and looked around frantically for the source. She traced it back to the air in the distance and she could have fainted! It was Majin Buu! And he was headed straight for them! Mercury wasted no time in running to where she had left Trunks.   
  
"Trunks!" She screamed to quickly get his attention. Trunks heard her scream and immediately got up, quickly wiping his eyes of the tears. 'What could be wrong?' He thought as she ran across the field and towards him.  
  
She was running so fast that she ran right into him before she could stop, nearly knocking him over before he quickly regained his balance. "Majin Buu is heading straight this way!" She yelled, not wasting any time to get to the point.   
  
Trunks gasped in both shock and slight fear when he heard that. How could he have been so stupid? Not only did he *not* hide his Ki on the flight here, but he also wasn't checking to see if Majin Buu was coming at all! The worst part was, was that he didn't even have the strength to give it a good fight. "It's alright, it's ok! I'll fly us out of here!" He said, quickly picking her up and shifting her into the sitting position in his arms before flying as far away as fast as could.   
  
She let out a startled cry, obviously not expecting that, and she held on tight as he flied at what she could've sworn was the very speed of sound.  
  
This time he wasn't stupid. Trunks didn't stop until he had to strain his senses to feel Majin Buu, and that took at least an hour and a half of frantic flying. There was no way that he was going to let anything happen to Ami. He had let everyone else down and he would not let her down too.   
  
When he finally landed he only realized just how weak he still was. Mercury was immediately on her feet while he collapsed to his knees, trying to catch his breath. He then noticed something, his breath was coming out in steam, and there was a small layer of snow under his hands. 'I must've flown us all the way across the Earth!' He thought somewhat embarrassed. Mercury got down on her knees and placed her hands on Trunks's shoulders in concern. "Are you alright, Trunks?"   
  
"Ya, I'm fine." He said between gasps. "Don't worry about me."   
  
Mercury frowned. "I told you that you were still a little weak." She scolded him, her frown quickly becoming a smile. "Bet you're glad you brought me now, huh?"   
  
Trunks couldn't help but laugh at her as she helped him up. He tried to walk on his own, but almost fell right on his face. So he leaned on her a bit to prevent himself from falling over. They both took a look around. They appeared to be in a small village at what looked like the very beginning of winter, and it was more than just a little could out. Especially with the wind. "We're going to need a place to stay until I can get us back to Capsule Corp, Ami." Trunks told her.   
  
She just nodded at him before starting their walk again. They soon passed what looked like an old corner store, and Mercury suggested that they go inside to get something to eat. Trunks was only just reminded of how starving he was, when his stomach started to growl. *Loudly*. They both chuckled at the sound and went inside.   
  
Mercury looked around and picked up a small capsule off one of the shelves and looked at it thoughtfully. She had to wonder what it was since it had a dairy label on it. Trunks had to explain to her what it was when he saw that she was holding it. He was pretty relieved to see it, not knowing if a small store like this would sell food capsules. "That's a dinocap." He began. "They're the items that Capsule Corp used to make. The dinocap that you're holding has lots of food in it."   
  
"Oh, how neat!" Mercury replied excitedly, thinking of the genius it must've taken to create such a thing.   
  
Trunks grabbed a backpack that was on an opposite shelf and they both started to just dump as many dinocaps inside as they could, not really bothering to check the labels as they did so. Mercury slung the backpack around her shoulder when they were done, and they both headed back outside into the biting cold weather.  
  
"We're going to have to find a place with a chimney." Mercury stated a-matter-of- factly.   
  
"Ya I know." Trunks replied, not looking forward to the search and th walk that went with it. Thankfully it only took them about twenty five minutes to find a place. It wasn't small, but it wasn't big either. It was a two story brick house, with the fireplace in the living room, but the heat could go throughout the entire house. They went inside, but Trunks had to break the door lock before he could, and they looked through the place. Only one bedroom out of the three could be used, but there was a couch in the living room that wasn't trashed so he could use that.  
  
"This is perfect." Trunks said, grinning like an idiot. It was then that he realized that he was still wearing his sword, and it was killing his back at the moment. He unclipped it and leant it on the wall in the kitchen. The table in the kitchen was trashed, but the coffee table in the living room could be used.   
  
Trunks used a small amount of Ki to start a fire in the fireplace, careful not to use too much in case Majin Buu sensed it. Mercury then knelt down by the coffee table with Trunks across from her, and got out the bag and started to open up the Dinocaps. She was shocked to see the amount of food that came out, (Mainly sandwiches and juice bottles, her favourite) and even more shocked to see how fast and how *much* Trunks was eating when he started. "I forgot how fast you ate, but I didn't know that you ate this much!" She said in amusement, quickly pulling out another Dinocap for him.   
  
"Sorry, But I need to eat a lot or else I could lose a lot of energy." He said, a fresh blush gracing his cheeks with the embarrassment he felt. "It's just that last night I still wasn't used to the food, so I didn't eat much then." He explained.  
  
"It's alright, Trunks." Mercury said, smiling brightly to show him that it was in fact ok. "Even if we do run out of food there must be more stores around here somewhere."   
  
"Ok then." He smiled, relieved that she didn't think he was a pig. "Oh, and by the way, You get the bedroom and I'll take the couch. The fireplace works in such a way that it will spread heat throughout the entire house, so you don't have to worry about getting cold"   
  
"No, you can take the bed, you're still weak." She said firmly.   
  
"I got a bed last night and I'm feeling much better now, so you can have it." Trunks said not wanting her to win this argument. She was about to say something else but he cut her off. "If you refuse to take the bed then I'll just sleep on the floor, and that can't be to good for my health you know." He said with an evil smirk, knowing that this would win the argument.   
  
Mercury looked at him in the shock that he would do that before that look was replaced with one of annoyance. "Fine, have it your way, but if you get sick it's your own fault!" She scolded lightly.   
  
Trunks grinned at her and Mercury's annoyance immediately left her. She just couldn't stay mad at him. She liked him too much, unknown to her that he liked her a lot too.  
  
To Be Continued........................  
  
A.N: So what do you all think of this so far? Pretty evil with the Chibi-Usa scene huh? Please review this. I will love anyone who does. ^_^ 


	6. On the Couch and Training Day

Author: Freewater  
  
Disclaimers: You know the drill, I don't own these Characters. I'm just using them for the sake of the story.  
  
Chapter Five: Training Day   
  
Ami and Trunks stayed at that house for a few days before the food was starting to run out. It wasn't a big deal, because like she had said they could go out and find a few more stores that carried dinocaps, and they did find them easily enough.   
  
Ami was very impressed when Trunks told her about how long food could stay good inside of a dinocap, and even more awed when he told her that cars fly around in this world. He didn't see what the big deal was, but then again this was technology that he was used to.   
  
Trunks couldn't go back to Capsule Corp with Ami yet because whenever he would reach out with his senses to see where Majin Buu was, it was always somewhere nearby the main building. It was as if he were waiting for them to come back. Trunks was a little startled by the idea of this because he was sure that Majin Buu didn't know where he lived. He quickly dismissed the thought that he knew, however because if he did then why wouldn't he come and just kill them in their sleep? It must be just a coincidence. Either that or Majin Buu was just interested in the shape of the building. Trunks sweat dropped at the thought. 'That's probably what it is.'   
  
During one of the food runs that they both went on, Trunks suggested that they go into a clothing store and pick up a change of clothes, theirs were starting to look pretty bad. They both felt a little guilty about just going through other peoples things even though everybody on Earth was dead, but it was either that or let their own clothes fall off of them in rags.   
  
Trunks picked out the type of clothes that he normally wore, baggy jeans, tank tops, boots and another Capsule Corp jacket. The jacket was the same colour as the one he originally had, but everything else was a little different. His tank tops were either blue, white or black, and his jeans were either black or blue. The boots he picked out were yellow.   
  
Ami wasn't normally into shopping, but whenever she did go she turned into a very fashion conscience girl. Add that to the fact that she wanted something nice to impress Trunks with and she was a regular Minako in that store. She giggled at the thought of Minako out shopping. Taking four or five hours just trying things on and then leaving the store with one or two outfits in tow. Ami had to be careful not to take *that* long though. She wanted to impress Trunks not drive him insane.   
  
She found some really nice clothes fairly quickly though. A couple of white tank tops with blue trims and some blue hip hugger jeans. These weren't the type of clothes that she normally wore, but they were very nice, and Ami thought she looked good in her new outfit. She quickly grabbed a few more things, noticing the lack of winter wear.   
  
She supposed that all of this destruction must have happened to Earth at the end of summer, because there were plenty of things on the racks for fall and even a few sun dresses for summer. So Ami grabbed a jacket made for the fall weather and a sky blue sun dress that she could wear around the house. She didn't need it, but quickly trying it on showed her that this was something she could impress Trunks in. Grinning wickedly she threw all of her new clothes into the backpack that she had brought and ran for the front of the store where she found Trunks waiting for her, leaning up against the wall casually. "Gomen. Did I take too long?" She asked worriedly.  
  
"Not at all. I just finished." He replied with a smile, but that smile was quickly replaced with a look of utter astonishment as he looked at the new clothes that Ami was wearing.   
  
He didn't mean to gawk at her, but he couldn't help but notice how good she looked in tight hip hugger jeans and a tank top. Of course he also thought she looked *great* in that sailor fuku that she wore into a fight, but this was different. She was wearing normal clothes, the type that people wore everyday, and that sailor fuku showed off more than necessary while this made her look good if not better without showing off as much. 'Why would anyone let their girlfriend wear that into battle?' Trunks thought, a little depressed now at the idea that she probably *did* have a boyfriend.   
  
He was brought back to reality when he saw the large blush spread across Ami's cheeks. 'Baka!' He scolded himself, a blush spreading across his own face as he wondered how long he was staring at her for. Looking around desperately for a way to change the uncomfortable mood that he put them in, he spotted Ami's necklace dangling loosely from her neck . It was a pretty little gold skeleton key with the Mercury symbol on it and a silver chain.   
  
"H-hey, nice necklace." He said pointing at it. He knew that he must sound stupid, but at the moment that didn't matter. "I never noticed it before, and it's got your symbol on it. Is it anything special?"   
  
Ami looked down at the key on her neck and gave a light smile as she ran her finger over it. "Yes it is actually. It's what allowed me to come into your world here, and is what will also enable us to get back."   
  
"Why can't we use it now?" Trunks asked getting exited about the idea of leaving a little sooner to Ami's world.   
  
She looked up at him. "Well, because of the amount of power that it takes to use it. Just to get me here, all of my friends had to use all the energy they could spare. Right now there are only two of us, so we'll have to wait a little longer so you can contribute some energy to help get us back." She explained.   
  
Trunks thought about that for a minute. It did sound logical, and she was someone he could trust on this, not to mention the fact that she did know more about this than he did. 'Oh well, what's a few more days anyway?' He thought with a sigh.   
  
"We should get going now." Ami said once she noticed how hard it was snowing out.   
  
"Um...right. Lets go." He replied.  
  
They both put on the jackets they got and headed out the door side-by- side. It was *very* windy out, and the snow didn't help either. A storm must have started to kick up while they were inside. Trunks instinctively wrapped his arms around Ami to shield her from the wind, and she put her arms around him for the warmth. The cold and wind still got inside their clothes and started to bite at their skin within a few minutes. They started to shiver on each other as they sped up. When they got into the house, they slammed the door shut, grateful to be out of that awful weather.  
  
Trunks quickly started up a fire and they sat close together to try and warm up. They were both quite comfortable in each others presence but were very nervous. Trunks was regretting somewhat that he had put his arms around Ami, even though he would have done it for anyone. Half the reason for it was really just an excuse to get some contact out of her. Luckily she seemed to think that it was fully for the purposes of the storm, and wrapped her arms around him too. He still felt awful for it. It was a dirty trick to play and he was glad to not have been caught.  
  
Ami was actually wondering if Trunks put his arms around her for the storm or for her. She gladly wrapped her arms around him, greedily taking in the warmth and physical contact that he was providing. It felt right to be in his arms like that, it felt...safe, but she felt bad as well. He was trying to keep her out of the cold, and she was practically hitting on him!! This wasn't like her at all. But she had never felt this way about anyone before. Not even Urawa-kun, her almost-boyfriend who moved away several years ago shortly after he found out that she was Sailor Mercury.   
  
Eventually Trunks broke the silence and began asking her question about her world and some of the monsters that they've come up against. Ami was more than happy to have something take her mind off the problem she'd been thinking of. They talked about everything for hours on end. The good thing about these two is that they're both geniuses. Ami because of all the studying she does, and Trunks because he grew up around Bulma and Chi-Chi. So when Trunks explained to her exactly how his time machine worked, she could understand him. And when Ami explained how certain things in her world worked he could understand her as well. Eventually they were laying on their stomachs watching the fire with a warm blanket covering them.   
  
"Would you tell me more about Ki, Trunks?" Ami asked, changing the subject.   
  
"Sure, Ami." He said happily. Just because he could understand what she was saying didn't mean that he didn't find some of the subjects boring. At least they were going into a territory that could keep his interest. "Ki works just like your powers. The more you use, the weaker you get. But only temporarily. The more you practice with it, the easier it will be to use and then you would be able to use it many times a day without getting tired at all. It's your life energy. If you were to train to use it you might pick up on it quick enough because you already have a type of power that drains your Ki. Only by a little though."  
  
She smiled brightly, this was exactly what she wanted to hear. "Trunks, would you teach me how to fly?"  
  
Trunks returned the bright look. "Sure, Ami!" He said excitedly. He had never taught anyone anything before, but the idea of it as well as having another real fighter around excited him. He looked out the window at the still raging snow storm. "We might be snowed in tomorrow, but I think I'm strong enough to fly us somewhere better for you to learn."   
  
"Are you sure about that? You were weak for a long time after that last flight you had."   
  
Trunks waved his hand dismissively. "I'm fine now, and I won't take us all that far. Just far enough so that we won't freeze after five minutes outside. Ok?"   
  
"Alright." She happily agreed.  
  
****************************************************************   
  
Later on that night, when they had both gone off to bed. Ami woke up slowly and *very* uncomfortable and cold. Looking outside she could still see that it was snowing. But her still being half asleep, couldn't comprehend that this was the reason why it was so cold out. There was one thing that her fogged up mind could take in though. Fires are warm, and there was a fire downstairs in the living room.   
  
Ami was never a morning person and was even known to walk around in her sleep on rare occasions, but she had never been in such a bad state that she would be asleep and awake at the same time. Only Usagi was known for doing that. It just goes to show what hanging out with her for so long would do to you.   
  
Groaning slightly she pushed off the blanket covering her and kicked her feet over the bed. She grabbed the blanket and headed out the door and downstairs. When she got there she saw that the fire had completely gone out, and it was colder in here than it was in her own room.   
  
She then heard a light snoring sound, and looked around trying to find the source for the noise. Her mental state was so far gone that it could almost be compared to being drunk. She didn't even know that it was Trunks making those snores, and she still didn't recognize him when her eyes decided to cooperate and land on him with his back facing her on the couch. He had only a thin bed sheet covering him, and he was shivering in his sleep.   
  
An idea quickly came to mind that only someone her state of mind could think up of, even though it was strange how she could still create ideas much less thoughts in her current state. Ami tightened her grip on the blanket in her hand and walked towards the couch, she spread it over him on the couch and then climbed in with him, trying to take in some of his body heat.   
  
She was almost fully back to sleep when suddenly both her eyes and mind snapped to full attention and woke up out of the half asleep stupor that was controlling her no more than a full minute ago. Trunks had turned around in his sleep and wrapped his arms around Ami's back, snuggling up to her and unconsciously trying to get at her own body heat.   
  
Ami's face immediately turned a bright red. 'What in the name of Kami am I doing here!?!?' She thought frantically. She resisted the urge to try and squirm away from the tight grip that Trunks had on her, just in case he woke up to see her face and demand answers that she couldn't give. Hell, she didn't even remember getting into bed with him!! She inwardly groaned. 'I must have been sleep walking again! What a time for this to happen! Oh please, Kami in heaven, don't let him wake up!' All she could do was sit tight and wait until he relaxed his grip on her enough so she could make her escape. Other than that, nothing came to mind.   
  
Ami suddenly felt a chill going up and down her spine as a strange fury something wrapped around her waist. She forced back a startled scream. What was this!?! An animal? House rodent? Some kind of snake? She didn't know about the animals of this world, but the idea that some gross creature was sleeping with them made her want to shake Trunks awake just to get rid of whatever it was like your stereotypical female. Get the men to kill all gross things around the house.   
  
She was just too stubborn to want to embarrass herself like that. So she held her breath and peered underneath the covers to get a look at it. It was definitely alive, whatever it was. Its twitching was proof enough of that.   
  
After about a minute or so of staring at it while trying to gather her courage, Ami reached a trembling hand down and touched the soft fur to see what it would do. When she touched it however, instead of the fury thing moving around, Trunks did! He quivered a little and did a sharp intake of breath, as though she had just tickled him. Confused, she took a closer look at the strange thing around her waist. Finder more courage now than before she lightly wrapped her hand around it and began to trace it to it's source. Once again Trunks shuddered, and he even made a little groaning sound as she was doing this. Ami really had to fight off a blush now.   
  
She found that this thing went behind Trunks' waist too. She continued to move her hand about it, and was shocked to see that it stopped at his tail bone! No, scratch that. It was connected *to* his tail bone! 'Oh my Kami!!' Ami thought, shocked as she quickly let go of Trunks' tail. 'Trunks has a tail!!.......Wait...He has a tail?'   
  
This was too weird. Why didn't Pluto or Trunks tell her about this? Was it because he was a half saiyan? Yes, that had to be it. No human could be born with a tail. Perhaps if Pluto and Trunks saw fit not to tell her about it then it wasn't that big of a deal. Ami took another look at it. 'It's actually kind of cute.' She thought fondly. It appeared to be very sensitive with the reactions she was getting out of him when she touched it. This would make it all the harder to get away without waking him up.   
  
She stayed awake the whole night, waiting for the right opportunity to get away. Ami was so tired. She wanted to go to sleep so badly, but didn't want to risk not waking up in time to get away and have Trunks see her. It was hard trying to stay awake though. When your in a comfortable warm space in the dark, it gets to be difficult.   
  
Trunks breathing wasn't helping too much either. It was almost hypnotic after listening to it for so long. She didn't know how long she was laying there with him, but when she started to see traces of the rising sun she started to get nervous and desperately began to move around a little to loosen his hold on her.   
  
Finally, when it appeared to be about seven thirty according to the sun, she managed to wiggle out of his hold on her and stand up. She sighed in relief that she wouldn't be caught and was about to walk away when she noticed that his tail was still wrapped securely around her waist.  
  
Ami took it gently in her hands and uncoiled it from around her, ignoring the little sounds Trunks was making at her actions. She bent down a little to place it beside his sleeping form when his eyes just shot wide open. He looked at her in confusion as to what she was doing there, and when his eyes landed on the tail in her hands they widened even more, but in a look of pure fear rather than confusion.   
  
He quickly got up, took his tail from her hands and backed up a few feet, wrapping it around his waist. "W-what were you doing?" He asked a little nervous that his secret was out. He'd actually forgotten to tell her about his tail and was *really* regretting it right now. He really liked her and he didn't want her to think that he was some kind of freak.   
  
Ami quickly tried to think of a good lie to tell. "Um...I was...I woke up a little while ago so I came down here. I-I saw that you were cold so I brought down my blanket and when I put it over you I saw that tail and I picked it up."   
  
Trunks looked over at the couch. Sure enough there was Ami's blanket from upstairs. She must have been telling the truth. The question was: Did she care that he had a tail? He looked back at her. "You, uh...You don't care about this do you?" He said pointing at his tail around his waist nervously.  
  
She looked at him in confusion. She was glad that he seemed to buy the lie she gave, but what was so wrong with his tail? "No. Why would I?"   
  
"W-well...It's just that...I know that something like this isn't normal or anything. You don't think I'm a freak or anything do you?" Trunks wasn't ashamed of it or anything. But if his tail were to prevent him from going to a place where he could, for once, be happy then he didn't know what he'd do.   
  
"Oh no! Of course not! I would never think that! Is that why you didn't mention it before?"  
  
"Well, sort of." He said, scratching his head in embarrassment.   
  
Ami smiled. "You don't have to worry. I think it's actually kind of cute." She said without really thinking. A blush was about to spread across her cheeks with what she said, but she quickly fought it off before he could notice it.   
  
Trunks however did blush upon hearing this. 'She actually thinks it's cute? This is GREAT!' He thought happily. There was, however still one problem that bothered him. "Please, don't tell anyone about this." He asked with a little desperation in his voice.   
  
"Why?" She asked in confusion. "I mean...We could tell my friends and you wouldn't have to worry about being ridiculed or anything."   
  
"That's not what I meant." He said, shaking his head. "I trust the people you trust. If it weren't for all of you then I would be dead. I just mean anyone normal. I don't want people to find out that I'm half alien. Call me crazy, but I've always had this fear of being somebodies science project." He said while scratching his head in embarrassment.   
  
Ami smiled again reassuringly. That sounded like a perfectly good reason to hide it, and she wouldn't betray his trust by spreading around something this important. If he wanted it to be a secret then it should stay that way. "Don't worry, we all know how to keep secrets. In case you have forgotten, my friends and I aren't exactly normal either."   
  
"Well that's true, but you still don't know the rest of it." He said nervously. If she was going to know about his tail then she might as well know about the transformation that went with it.  
  
"Rest of what?" She asked, getting confused now. It was just a tail, what could be so bad about it?   
  
"In your world the moon still exists, right?"   
  
Ami nodded her head. "Yes."   
  
"Well here the moon is gone, so there is no danger for me to transform." He explained.   
  
"What do you mean?" Ami asked, tilting her head slightly.  
  
Trunks sighed and lowered his head. He'd never had to explain this to anyone before, and it was a lot harder then he'd thought it'd be. "When a saiyan, even a half saiyan, with a tail looks up at the moon when it's full, they change into an Oozaru."   
  
Ami's eyes immediately widened with a mixture of curiosity and fascination. "What's an Oozaru?" She asked.   
  
Trunks' voice seemed to get lower when he spoke. "It's a giant, mindless ape, that runs around destroying and killing. When the Saiyan Empire still existed, they were used to destroy all life on whole planets before being sold to the highest bidder."   
  
He took a chance and looked up enough to see the horrified expression on Ami's face. He then quickly tried to explain himself. "Look, I swear on my fathers grave that if I go to your world, I will *never* look at your full moon. Please understand, I don't want to cut my tail off. It's all I have of my father and saiyan heritage."   
  
He would have continued on with his rants if Ami hadn't stopped him by cutting him off. "Stop worrying, Trunks. Before Pluto sent me here she told us all that you were a good person who would never hurt anyone. I don't think that this is too big of a deal or else she may have mentioned it. Besides," She said waving her hand dismissively as if it weren't a problem at all. "You said that in order for this transformation to take place you have to *look* at the full moon. That only happens once a month and even then it's very easy not to look at something like a full moon if your indoors. Right?"   
  
Trunks just nodded his head, shocked that this was being accepted so easily. Was luck on his side or what?!?   
  
"Alright. That's settled then." She said cheerfully. "You go and get some clothes on and I'll make us something to eat. Don't forget, you promised to teach me how to fly today." That said, Ami calmly walked right out of the room and into the kitchen to prepare something, as if nothing had happened at all.   
  
Trunks smiled brightly. That went a whole lot better than he thought it would, and she didn't think he was a freak at all! Maybe he had a chance with her.   
  
Once breakfast was devoured, they dressed in the warmest clothes they had and packed up the rest of their things. If they were going to be going around the world again they might as well stay there and not fly back. Trunks was right when he said they would be snowed in. He had to break down the front door before he could pick up Ami and fly away.   
  
They flew for about two hours at a slow pace to conserve energy, before stopping on a nice looking tropical island. It was a beautiful spot with trees that had fresh fruits growing everywhere in case they were to get hungry, and the beach would be good to cool them off after training. He wouldn't do any physical training with her yet, but hard meditation and Ki training could still take a lot out of a person.   
  
They sat down with their legs crossed and Trunks began to explain to her how Ki was formed. They started off with the basics first. Ami closed her eyes and tried to sense where Trunks was when he powered up. This was simple, and she mastered it on the third try. He was very impressed with her.   
  
Next he got her to raise her own Ki to see how much she had. Ami was concentrating as hard as she could and Trunks was surprised to see how much she had. If he did this right she would be flying and creating small attacks before the day was out!   
  
They had to stop for breathers once in a while. Trunks needed them because of how weak he still was and they both needed to conserve their energy for the trip back to her world.   
  
The next lesson was basic hovering. Trunks resisted the urge to try and teach her how to fly the way he had been taught. Falling from a high distance. He wouldn't speak to Gohan for a whole week after he did that, so instead she had her feet planted firmly on the ground and was trying to focus her Ki into her feet, her eyes squeezed tightly shut in concentration.   
  
After fifteen long minutes of this, Ami started to slowly float upwards. The strange thing about this was that she had been concentrating so hard that she didn't even notice! She was just about to give up when Trunks laughed and told her to open her eyes. She opened them and gave out a startled yelp as she fell to the ground. Trunks laughed again and offered her his hand up. Ami jumped up and down excitedly and hugged him around the neck.   
  
"Thank you so much, Trunks! This is the most wonderful thing anyone's ever done for me!" She said, with her arms still around his neck. Trunks gladly returned the hug she was giving. "Hey, don't get too excited yet. You were only hovering, but with the progress you're making it'll take another lesson or two before you can actually fly around, but that's great for a beginner!" He said with a smile gracing his features.   
  
Ami unwrapped her arms from his neck and looked him in the face. "Still, it's the greatest thing anyone's ever done for me. I've always wanted to fly even as a child, and know because of you I'll get to do that. Thank you." She quickly got on her toes and kissed him lightly on the cheek as a thank you.  
  
Trunks blushed deep at this, but she didn't seem to notice as she went to sit down for another break. He turned around quick before she noticed how red his face was. "Um...I'm going to get us something to eat, ok?"   
  
Ami smiled even though he wasn't looking. "Sure, I'm really hungry!"   
  
"Alright then, wait right there and I'll be right back." He said before running off. When he was out of sight, Ami let out the deep breath she had been holding. 'I can't believe I *kissed* him!!' She thought, completely surprised with herself while her own face began to change colour. 'Thank Kami he didn't see how embarrassed I was when he left!'   
  
About a half hour later when Trunks returned with an armful of bananas and apples, he'd finally managed to change his face back to its original colour. 'Man, I can't believe she *kissed* me!' He thought, while grinning like an idiot. He let out a soft chuckle. 'This is so great!'   
  
Then a depressing thought occurred to him and his face quickly fell. 'Don't forget, she probably has a boyfriend, and even if she didn't it was more of a friendly kiss. And she just gave it to you to say thank you.' Trunks groaned. He had no experience with girls, so he really couldn't tell between a kiss that said she was interested or just one that meant they were now good friends.   
  
He inwardly groaned again as he set down the food he'd brought. "This all looks so good!" Ami said, as she picked up the reddest apple in the pile and took a bite out of it. They just sat there for a while, eating in silence.   
  
Ami still had a huge smile on her face though. 'Wait till I tell the girls back home that I know how to fly! They'll be so jealous!' She was so excited. Only Eternal Sailor Moon could fly, and that was just because of her wings. Ami was learning how to fly without wings and without the need to transform.   
  
Trunks wanted something to take his mind off of the current dilemma he'd found. He didn't take the silence as a good sign. Searching through his brain desperately to find something to talk about he only found one. "Um... So Ami, when will we be leaving for your world?" He asked curiously.   
  
She thought for a second. "Let me see. I've been here for about nine days, so that leaves only five more to go." Trunks smiled on hearing this. Ami just sighed. "What's the matter?" He asked, a little worried. She shook her head. "It's nothing really, but I really liked being able to get away like this. When I get back, I'll have to go back to college and back to all of that studying I do. It was really nice giving my mind a rest like this for once."   
  
Trunks looked confused. What did she mean "For once?". "Do people there go to school the whole year 'round or something?" He asked.   
  
She just gave him a weak smile. "No. Only I did. Ever since my father left, it was as if everything I did wasn't good enough for my mother. I took summer school when I didn't need it and was enrolled in those school programs that are held after school. Because of my mothers job and all the work I did, we almost never saw each other. And when we did we were more like strangers than family."   
  
Trunks felt a little sorry for her. To be shoved off by your own mother was a terrible thing to happen. His Kasaan was gone, but at least he had good memories of her. He leaned closer to her. "Hey, don't worry about it. Don't forget all the friends you have and are always mentioning. I'm sure they're there for you."   
  
Ami gave a forced smile. The only real friend she had was Usagi. Everyone else was good to her but weren't there to support her like she'd like them to. "Ya, your right." She said not sure if it was the truth. "I suppose it would be better to go home sooner. Then we could stop hiding from that thing."   
  
"I wish we had some senzu beans." Trunks said wistfully. "Then we could leave today and stop hiding from Majin Buu."   
  
"What are senzu beans?" Ami asked, curious as to what these things could be that would let them leave sooner.   
  
"They're little green beans that heal whoever takes them to full health." He explained. "Even if a person is on the verge of death from a wound, or even just a little weak they would be fully recovered."   
  
"Hey! We have two senzu beans back at Capsule Corp!" Ami said excitedly.  
  
"What? really? Are you sure?" He asked, his own excitement getting the better of him.   
  
"Yes! I pulled out a small brown bag that had two small green beans in it from a box of medical supplies when I was taking care of you! I didn't know what they were so I put them in the top drawer in the spare bedroom you were in!"   
  
"I can't believe this!" He said, slapping his forehead. "This is so great! All we have to do is get them and take them and we'll have enough energy to leave!"   
  
"This is so perfect!" Ami said jumping up. She may have liked her break from all the work she did, but that doesn't mean that she didn't miss her home. "We should get our things and go now then."   
  
"Just a sec, I want to see where Majin Buu is." He said before closing his eyes and concentrating. He was very pleased to find that the creature was a nice distance away from Capsule Corp. "Alright, he's far enough away from my house, so we can go now."   
  
They quickly got up and gathered their things. Trunks picked up Ami and began to fly away before suddenly stopping in mid air and looking over at the surrounding islands. "What's that matter, Trunks?" Ami asked a little worried about the saddened expression on his face.   
  
He looked over at her in his arms. "I just can't believe that all of this will be destroyed." He whispered sadly. There were no people or animals left, but earth was still lush and beautiful. It was hard to believe that it would all be gone soon.   
  
Ami looked up at him reassuringly, knowing what he meant. "Don't worry, my world is just fine and has many living things on it, just like this one. And there's more than enough room there for you." He looked down at her and smiled. "Thank you." He said quietly before flying off.   
  
About an hour and a half later, they made it back to Satan City. It so miserably looking and it looked like it was about to rain too. Trunks had to land on a roof top to catch his breath on one of the still standing skyscrapers. He rested his hands on his knees and began to do some really heavy breathing. He'd flown around for several hours already today as well as had a lesson with Ami on flying. Needless to say, he was exhausted.   
  
"Are you alright, Trunks?" Ami asked, placing her hand on his back. "I'm fine...just give me...a minute." He said between pants. He suddenly snapped to attention when he and Ami felt a familiar energy headed straight for them at high and angry speeds.   
  
"Kuso!!" Trunks cried out enraged that he'd been tricked. "He sensed us coming the whole time!"   
  
"Trunks, your too weak to put up a good fight against it. Fly to Capsule Corp, take a senzu bean and come back and get me. I'll distract it for you." Ami said calmly.   
  
"WHAT?!?! No way! N-O. Your coming with me!" He yelled, completely outraged by the idea of leaving her here. She just shook her head. "I'll just slow you down, you could barley keep yourself in the air when you landed. Besides you *need* this distraction."   
  
"I am NOT leaving you here!" He shouted stubbornly. If anything were to happen to her while he was gone he would never forgive himself.   
  
"Just shut up and turn around so I can transform!" She shouted back. This was the only way and they both knew it. He was just being stubborn. Trunks slowly nodded his head and he turned around.   
  
"MERCURY CRYSTAL POWER!"   
  
In a flash of sparkling blue light she quickly changed into Sailor Mercury. "You can turn around now." She said while trying to sense Majin Buu's energy.  
  
Trunks turned around, and was about to make another protest until Mercury cut him off. "This is the only way to do it and you know it. I've gone up against him before and I'll do it again." She said firmly, hoping it would get the point across.   
  
Trunks sighed, angry with himself for giving in. "I'll be right back, ok?"   
  
Mercury nodded her head. "Ok." Trunks turned around and, concentrating extremely hard, began to fly away, looking back once to make sure she was fine while inwardly cursing at himself for giving in to her.   
  
Mercury saw him fly out of sight before she sighed in relief. She was afraid for a second that he wouldn't get out of here in time. She could sense Majin Buu getting closer. She turned around and saw him flying in the distance. It looked like he was about to fly past her and pursue Trunks until she let out an attack on it.   
  
"SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!"  
  
That blast was a direct hit, but it didn't even put a scratch on him. When Majin Buu looked around and spotted her, he gave a smile that sent shivers down her spine.   
  
"I wemembers you!!" He sang sadistically.   
  
Mercury could only pray at this point that Trunks would hurry up. This may have been the only way but that didn't stop her from being totally afraid of what this thing could do to her.  
  
************************************************************  
  
When Trunks finally made it home he had to fight to keep from passing out from exhaustion. His legs burned when he ran through the halls in the building and into the guest room and he was getting a little dizzy, but thankfully when he opened the top drawer he found the two senzu beans in plain sight. He grabbed one and put it in his pocket and immediately took the other.  
  
He never felt better in his whole life! He got a lot stronger after taking it too. 'But it's still not enough!' He thought miserably. He was just about to fly away when he caught sight of a turned down picture in the drawer. He didn't bother to look at what it was as he snatched it and flew out the window as fast as possible while throwing it in his other pocket.  
  
He sensed Majin Buu's and Mercury's Ki within seconds. They were very close together. Majin Buu was powered up and Mercury's Ki was fluctuating. He was attacking her!! And she was losing her energy fast!! These thoughts enraged him beyond belief as he transformed into a super saiyan and sped up.   
  
When he found them, Mercury was struggling to stand up on the road while Majin Buu aimed an attack at her from the air. Trunks gasped as he dived to get her out of the way. Majin Buu sent out his energy beam and it just skimmed Mercury's side as Trunks quickly grabbed her and flew out of the way. He couldn't help but cringe as she screamed loudly in pain.  
  
Majin Buu didn't stop the attack however, he just kept firing his blast into the earth. It was getting stronger with each passing second and soon earthquakes were forming. "Oh, no!! H-he's destroying the earth sooner than we thought he would." Mercury gasped out. She then clutched her side and coughed up some blood as she cried out in pain again. She felt like she was about to pass out from it.   
  
Trunks looked at her in shock before he felt rain drops on him, and then saw them on her face. He looked up to see the sky almost pitch black. The rain came down harder on his face and he looked down at Mercury in horror. The last time he held someone like this in the rain, it was Gohan, and he was dead. 'Oh my god, please no!' He thought desperately to himself. 'Please not another death. Please don't let her die!!'   
  
Trunks desperately looked around for a safe place and quickly landed on the roof of a nearby building. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Ami! Your going to fine!" He was about to pull the last senzu bean out of his pocket to give to her until he sensed an attack coming his way. He just barely dodged it with her still in his arms. 'I can't give it to her with him chasing me around like this!' He thought desperately as Majin Buu gave chase.   
  
The earthquakes were getting worse now and despite the rain, huge fires were starting up. Ami was right. Majin Buu must've actually hit the core of the earth with that attack and now it was about to blow.   
  
"T-Trunks. We can use my key to get home now. You can heal me there." She coughed out. He nodded his head as he flew away from Majin Buu as fast as he could, the rain beating on his face like bullets.   
  
He still followed them though, so they had to do this while still moving in the air. Majin Buu wasn't going to let them get away so easily this time. Mercury pulled the key out from around her neck and raised it in front of them while they went.   
  
"CRYSTAL KEY!! TAKE US HOME!!!"   
  
The energy strain on him was amazing! Against his will, hee immediately turned back to normal, unable to stay in super mode. A large white portal opened up a hundred feet in front of them when the energy was taken, and they were almost there until Majin Buu stretched out his flesh and grabbed Trunks around the legs.   
  
He gasped in fear once he realised that it was trying to absorb him again. "LET US GO!!" He screamed behind him. "You go nowhere!" He said evilly. Around them the world was on fire, and giant Earth quakes continued to shake the world.   
  
Using all the excess energy he could, he slowly fought his way to the portal. He could eventually see several young girls on the other side looking at them with a mixture wonder and horror. 'It doesn't matter who sees us! As long as she lives I don't care!!!' He thought desperately as he went.   
  
Majin Buu continued to try and hold them back from their freedom but with Mercury in his arms, Trunks found energy he didn't know he had as he fought his way through the portal and it slowly started to close up, burning his pink flesh painfully as it did and forcing him to drop them.   
  
Majin Buu let out a loud scream of defeat as his prey got away from him for the second time. The world surrounding him then exploded and the portal closed completely with a flash. "NOOOOO!!!!!!!"   
  
Trunks landed roughly face first on the ground with the shock of being dropped while trying so hard to fly away, and he dropped Mercury's now unconscious form. Thankfully it appeared as if she had a better landing than he did.   
  
From his now blurred up vision, it looked like he was in front of a temple of some kind. The girls that he saw all gathered around Ami to see if she was ok.   
  
He was about to pass out too. He slowly got to his knees and looked to where the portal once was in disbelief. "I-I can't believe it's really...gone." That was all he could get out before he fell to the ground and everything went black.  
  
To Be Continued.....................................  
  
A.N: I know that this chapter kind of sucks, but I realised that I haven't posted anything for you all in a while (_) So I thought that I would get this out to you all. Sorry, I've just been busy with the seventh chapter and working on my other fics. If I don't give Simbagirl a chapter to post soon she'll probably kill me! lol.  
  
Anyway, thanks to all who are reviewing me (^_^) I really appreaciate it. This fic has recieved the most reviews of all of my fics so far, and that's pretty surprising to me since I never really thought that people even liked it. But it was kind of obvious after I posted the second chappy and people started to talk to me about it ^_^. Once again, sorry for the delay, And I'm glad to see that the Chibi-Usa scene in the previous chapter bugged you all so much! that was the plan!   
  
And another thing, I just have to ask this: Was that scene with Ami and Trunks on the couch too much? I wasn't too sure what people would think of that part so let me know please.  
  
More reviews please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No reviews make me unhappy ;_; lol 


	7. A New World

Disclaimers: I do NOT own these Characters. And for those of you who do not know this, in the anime Haruka and Michiru are not cousins, they are actually a couple. Sorry for those of you who aren't into that sort of thing, but that's just too bad!! XD  
  
Chapter Six: A New World   
  
'Oh Kami, what happened? Kuso, I hurt!' Trunks was still a little out of it. He could hear whispers all around him, and a crackling sound as if he were near a bonfire. "He's waking up!" He managed to open his eyes a crack and turn his head.   
  
He was on a floor on a mat with a thin blanket covering him, his sword lying next to him. Ami was beside him with the same things covering her. She didn't look so good. There actually was a bonfire, and it was next to her. He turned his head to the other side. He couldn't make out the figures, but there were many of them. It was as if they were all sitting in the shadows, just out of reach for him to see. Strange considering there was a huge fire behind him. 'My eyes must still need to adjust.' They were all sitting on their knees behind one in particular.   
  
By the sound of the voice it was a woman, and she was chanting out something strange and making complex hand movements. He sensed something weird about her and immediately became suspicious. The energy she was channelling was all headed in his and Ami's direction, but his mind was too fogged up to process what it was though. His mind did register one thing however, Ami had told him about strange monsters that would use all kinds of spells to attack their victims. Where were they? Were they captured by some weird creatures?   
  
If they were in trouble then he would get them out of it! Ami was next to him and by the look of it, still need his last senzu bean. He grabbed his sword and jumped to his feet and got into a fighting position so quick they all let out startled gasps. It sounded like they were all girls! Trunks inwardly groaned, He was still dizzy and didn't feel like fighting. At least a bunch of females shouldn't be able to put up too much of a fight. 'Oh, man am I ever dizzy! I wish I don't have to move around so fast for a fight.'  
  
"It's alright, calm down. You're with friends." It was a male voice that said this.   
  
"Who are you and where are we!" He demanded as threateningly as he could.   
  
"My name is Darien and your at the Hikawa Temple. We're Ami's friends."   
  
Trunks relaxed a bit when he heard that but didn't fully let his guard down. They could easily be lying. He turned his head slightly to see Ami still on the floor, sweating and shivering beneath her blanket. "What were you doing?" He asked suspiciously.   
  
They all got up and stepped forward to reveal seven women, one girl who looked to be about ten years old, one guy with short black hair, and two cats with cresent moons on their foreheads. 'Must be Luna and Artemis.' He thought, remembering Ami's explanation for the guardian cats "We were healing the two of you." Said the one with long raven hair. "You only suffered from an energy drain so you woke up first, but Ami's condition is worse. She has a deep wound and we need to heal it. So please, calm down so we can get back to work." She said pleadingly.   
  
Trunks looked over at where Ami lay and then turned back to them. "If your healing her then your going too slow." He said as he re-sheathed his sword and layed it on the ground. He then turned around and took the small bean out of his pocket and knelt down preparing to give it to her.   
  
"Hey what's that! Don't give that to her!" Screamed the girl with short blonde hair. "It's a senzu bean and it'll heal her instantly. So calm down." He said, as he popped it in her throat and massaged her neck to get it down.   
  
Everyone seemed to be holding their breath when he was finished, and when Ami finally opened her eyes and sat up there was a huge sigh of relief. "We're back!" She cried out happily as she threw her arms around his neck. "Yes, Ami. We're in your world now." Trunks said calmly as he tried to hide his blush while hugging her back warmly and thanking Kami in heaven for not letting someone else die on him. He was so relieved that she was alright. If there were to be another death on his watch, because he (once again) was too weak to do anything to stop it, then he really didn't know what he'd do. He cared for her too much to just sit back and watch her get hurt.   
  
Ami smiled brightly for being in Trunks' arms and being back home. For a moment she didn't think she could beat Majin Buu and was getting a little afraid until Trunks came back. She then looked over his shoulder to see most of the girls giving her the death glare for hugging "Their Guy". That was how a guy whom they tried to get was always described as. "Theirs." Meaning no touching.   
  
She both nervously and regretfully let go of him at the sight of their faces, and he did the same but without seeing the looks that her "friends" were sending her. Ami glanced back at all her friends still sending disapproving looks her way and her heart fell. 'With all of them around, what interest will he have in me?'   
  
Trunks saw the look on her face and became worried."Are you alright, Ami?" He asked with concern clearly in his voice.   
  
She looked up at him and gave him the bright cheery smile that she had mastered long ago when she was really upset. The only person in the room who wasn't fooled was Usagi who frowned, immediately knowing where the source of her discomfort came from.   
  
"I'm fine, Trunks, just a little tired that's all."   
  
"Oh, well then you should lie back down then."   
  
"Actually, you need the rest a whole lot more than she does." The girl with long raven hair said.  
  
"You must be Rei." Trunks said fondly, remembering Ami's description of all her friends. 'So these are the ones who saved me.'   
  
"Yes, I'm Rei. And from I can sense, you're a whole lot weaker than she is because of that little bean thing you gave her." She pointed out  
  
"I'm fine, really." He tried to stand up but when he did his head immediately swam and the room spun around. He was about to fall over and Ami tried to get up so she could catch him but Makoto beat her to it. He fell backwards into her arms and she tried to help him stand up straight.  
  
"You're still weak." She stated the obvious from behind him. Trunks still tried to make light of the situation though. He didn't want people to worry over him, but damn, was he dizzy! Why wouldn't the room stop spinning? He then chuckled as if he was just fine. "I guess I'm just a little dizzy."   
  
"You must be. From what we saw, you had to supply the power for Ami's key all by yourself." Makoto said with a hint of venom dripping from her voice at the accusation which caused Ami to wince. It wasn't her fault she passed out. She was injured.   
  
"It's not her fault. I'm actually impressed that she managed to stay conscious long enough to use it." Trunks said quickly coming to her defence. "I'm just glad she's ok."   
  
Ami smiled brightly at hearing this. At least he didn't seem to blame her for anything.   
  
Rei heard the concern in his voice and tried to take his mind off of her. "Um...Come with me, Trunks." She said softly in a voice that sounded slightly more girlish than usual. "I have a spare room you can sleep in. It's not much, but we still weren't expecting you two here for another few days."   
  
"You didn't have to do that y'know." He said, blushing while still leaning on Makoto for support. She was just standing there practically in heaven as she held him up.   
  
"And just where were you planning on sleeping?" She asked with a light smirk.   
  
His blush got deeper. "I...Uh......." 'What WAS I going to do?' He thought frantically. He forgot that he would have nowhere to stay when he came here. He looked around the strange room with everyone in it. His duffel bag with all of his and Ami's things was here, but there were no Capsule houses inside. At the sight of his red face Rei chuckled. "I guess that answers that question." She said while getting on the other side of him to help Makoto get him to the spare room.   
  
"Hey, I'll come with you!" Minako said while running up to them, desperate for a little attention from Trunks. "You guys help him stand and I'll lead the way. Okay?" She chirped while flicking a hand through her blonde hair in an attempt to be seductive.   
  
Trunks looked over at Ami as if to ask why there were so many people coming with him. He was just a little weak not deathly sick! She just shrugged her shoulders to answer his unasked question. He then sighed and let the girls cart him off to his room. He was a guest here and couldn't be rude after all.   
  
When all four of them left the room Usagi practically ran up to Ami and whispered excitedly to her. "Tell me that you snagged him in that other world or else I'll be pissed!" Ami looked a little shocked at her friend's choice of language, but shook her head no anyway. "What? Why not?"  
  
She was about to answer until Haruka marched up to her threateningly. "You TOLD him about us?!" She practically yelled. "Why did you do that? He could be a threat! He has more power than all of us put together! And now he knows who we are!"   
  
"B-but Haruka, Pluto never said that I couldn't while I was with him, and besides he's just like us anyway." Ami stuttered out. Haruka could be VERY intimidating when she wanted to be.   
  
She crossed her arms and eyed her as if she were thinking about what she just said. When it looked like she was about to protest this again, Usagi had to help. "C'mon, Haruka! This is Pluto we're talking about! She wouldn't send Ami off into a weird dimension to save someone if he could be a danger y'know."   
  
Haruka got an annoyed look on her face at this point, simply because she knew that her princess was right. Michiru came up behind her and took her hand before giving it a reassuring squeeze. "We also trust Pluto, Usagi. It's just that we would have preferred to know about this and have a say in the matter as well, instead of coming home to find that all of you have been busy without us." She said.   
  
"And besides," Haruka continued while turning her attention back to Ami. "Aren't you a little weak to be taking on missions like this? You almost died, Pluto could have sent someone stronger to get him if it was so important."   
  
"I......I had the biggest advantage." She whispered with her head down. Haruka was making her feel like she had done something wrong, when in truth she had just saved a human life from torture and destruction. She missed her friends a lot, but she didn't think that the first thing they would all do when she got back was criticize her and hit on Trunks.   
  
"How would you have the biggest advantage?" Haruka asked curiously. "It was her visor and ability to make a fog appear." Usagi stated proudly. "AND her powers over ice."   
  
"Oh." She said dryly while trying to show how little she actually cared, when in truth it still annoyed her.   
  
Suddenly Hotaru made herself know by speaking up. "Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama, can we go home now? It's past midnight and I have school tomorrow." They both looked at her and slowly nodded their heads. Haruka sighed. "We'll talk about this later, I suppose. I just wish that you all could have waited for us, but if Pluto and you think that he won't be a threat then I guess we'll just have to trust your judgment, Usagi." She didn't give Usagi a chance to say anything back. She just turned around and left with Michiru and Hotaru following closely behind.   
  
Ami let out a sigh of relief when they were gone. She thought for a moment that Haruka would literally rip her head off for telling Trunks about them. "Hey don't worry about them, Ami. You did the right thing." Darien said reassuringly.   
  
She looked up at him and smiled thankfully. "Thank you."   
  
"And besides." Artemis said, while standing next to Luna. "It'll be great having another male member of the group around! There are just way too many girls!" He then started to laugh until Luna and Usagi shot him death glares that shut him up almost instantly. Darien knew better so he kept his mouth shut.   
  
Everyone had forgotten about Chibi-Usa who was still in the room at this point. She was still sitting in the shadows watching them with a fearful and nervous tension around her while biting at her nails. 'Oh no! He's here sooner! That'll give me less time to find away around this! What am I going to do? I have to find a way to stop it! It won't be fair!'   
  
Rei suddenly walked back into the room looking very proud of herself and interrupting Chibi-Usa's thoughts. "He's out like a light!" She stated happily. "I gave him some of my special herbal tea the would make him sleep and help restore his energy."   
  
Ami looked behind her and didn't see Minako or Makoto. "Where are the others?" She asked.  
  
Rei looked behind her and scowled when she didn't see Minako or Makoto. "They were supposed to be following me!" She said angrily. Then she just shrugged it off. "Oh well. It won't be my fault if he wakes up to find those two whacko's in there staring at him!"   
  
"I thought you gave him something to help him sleep." Darien said, confused. "Ya, sleep! Not put in a coma!" She said before sighing. "I suppose he'll need at least one person in there at a time to make sure that when he does wake up he'll get everything he needs. But since that most likely won't be until tomorrow I'm going in there to kick them out!"   
  
She stopped in the doorway and turned towards Ami. "Hey, your mom is still brainwashed so you can stay here for a few days until it wears off, if you want."   
  
Ami smiled at hearing this. It was at times like this when she knew that she really did have friends. Perhaps they just didn't know that they could hurt her feelings on occasion when they joked around. "Thank you, Rei. That's very kind of you."   
  
"It's no problem at all!" She said, waving her hand dismissively. "Usagi, can you take her to your guest room? I don't have anymore spares and I need to get those two out of Trunks' room before they drool on him or something."   
  
"Sure thing." She said enthusiastically. "I'll take Chibi-Usa home then." Darien said. He stretched out his hand for her to take and she ran to him. They left with Luna and Artemis close behind. "Bye, Usagi. Bye, Ami." Chibi-Usa called. The others just waved before leaving.   
  
Rei then left and Ami picked up her duffle bag with all of her and Trunks' clothes in it before following Usagi down a hall. She had slept here more than Ami had and so she knew her way around in the living areas outside the Temple.   
  
"Are you staying here too, Usagi?" Ami asked on the way there. "Yup! This is so great! You and I'll be sharing a room! This will be fun! I'm glad you got here earlier!" She thought for a moment at her last statement. "How did you get back so early anyway?" She asked looking over her shoulder.   
  
"Trunks told me about those little senzu beans that heal all energy drains and wounds, so we figured that if he took one he could power up the key and we could come back sooner." She explained. Absentmindedly, she reached up to her neck to grab at the key and was surprised to find that it was gone. "Oh no! Where is it?" She asked frantically.   
  
Usagi stopped. "Don't worry, Ami. Pluto has it." She said calmly. "She does? Why?" Ami asked confused. Pluto had told her that when she was done with it she wouldn't ask for it back. So why would she have it? Not that she didn't trust her, but she became very fond of the little jewel that she was given. It was her little reminder of both Trunks and the time they had spent together.  
  
Usagi sighed. "Evidently when that thing was chasing you two there was an actual *overload* of energy. They key was damaged and might not work again." Ami blinked. "I can't believe it! Trunks can produce enough power to actually *break* the key, when all of us put together could barely get it to work! That's amazing!"   
  
"You might not want to tell him about this, Ami." Usagi said somewhere in between being serious and being sad.   
  
"Why not? It's not a big deal. We won't need it again anyway, Trunks is already here." Usagi stepped closer and put her hand on Ami's shoulder. "When you were gone, we were all talking and... well... we thought that when we got him here, he would most likely want to go back to his worlds past. Where everyone was still alive. So we would use your key to send him there, but if it's broken then we'll just be getting his hopes up if we say anything."   
  
Ami was shocked. The thought that her key could not only be used to save Trunks, but also send him away had *never* crossed her mind. How could she be so stupid? Of course he would want to see his family again if given the chance. Why would he stay if there was a way back? She inwardly groaned. She liked him so much, but she wouldn't be able to keep him here against his will if he didn't want to stay.   
  
She wouldn't say anything to him yet. Not until she knew for a fact that the key wouldn't work, but if Pluto could fix it then she would have to tell him about it. It wouldn't be right to deny him his family for her own selfish reasons. Honestly, she didn't know whether or not to hope that the key could be fixable.   
  
She felt so ashamed of herself. They weren't even dating and she was acting like his leaving would be some big loss on her part. He probably didn't care about her as anything more than just a friend anyway. The only ones who would really miss out would be Makoto, Minako, Rei, and maybe even Hotaru. The ones who actually *had* a chance with him.   
  
She sighed. "You're right, Usagi. We shouldn't tell him about it until we know for a fact that it will work or not." She nodded her head and they both continued on to their room, ignoring the whispered argument they heard between Rei, Minako and Makoto as they got closer to the guest rooms.  
  
***********************************************************   
  
The next day everyone was back at the Temple for a scout meeting. They were all seated at their usual places around the square table in Rei's room, discussing the totally hot guy two doors down the hall, much to the annoyance of Luna and Artemis. It was one o'clock in the afternoon, and Trunks was still asleep.   
  
"Kami Rei, I thought you said that, that tea you gave him was supposed to help him sleep, not knock him out!" Minako grumbled miserably. She didn't really want to be here today. In fact she was originally planning on calling them claiming to have a cold or something in order to get out of being there. She was supposed to go out shopping with some other friends from school, but she blew it off to come here and maybe get a chance to speak to Trunks. Unfortunately the stuff that Rei gave him to help him sleep seemed to be *keeping* him asleep and it looked like she wouldn't be getting her chance to do that anytime soon.   
  
She knew perfectly well that the others had their sights set on him, but she would be damned if the goddess of love would be outwitted at her own game. So she would be here and maybe charm him with her great looks and winning personality. She giggled at the thought of her and Trunks holding hands and kissing in the park. 'This will be SO easy!' She thought excitedly. The only thing currently in her way was the fact that he wasn't around to speak to.   
  
"Calm down already, Minako!" Rei replied irritably. "I guess I just put a little too much herbs in the tea I gave him. It's no big deal y'know!" Her hands were so shaky when she prepared the tea for him yesterday that she didn't really notice how badly she was overdoing it. And when he told that it tasted great she knew her face turned red.   
  
Not like the amount of sleeping he was doing mattered. Trunks needed the rest anyway and right now was Chibi-Usa's turn to watch him. She inwardly snickered, remembering how angry Makoto got a being kicked out. It was all just one big competition on who he would see first when he woke up.   
  
Rei pretty much gave up her hopes that such a polite and handsome man would be interested in her however, when he made another comment about how happy he was for Ami's safety just before dozing off. The others didn't catch the mixture of worry and relief in his voice when he said that, and she could sense his aura fluctuate like a heartbeat when he mentioned her name. So she would step aside from the game like a good friend and let Ami have him with no trouble at all.   
  
The strange thing was, from what her psychic powers were telling her, Ami didn't seem to notice that she had already won the game. Oh well. It would be a little fun trying to play match maker with those two anyway. She just had to try and get Minako, Makoto and Hotaru to try and take that hint that for once there was a guy in their "Hands Off" category.   
  
Minako pouted a little. Ami had her nose in a book, pretending to read it while paying close attention to the conversation around her that Makoto suddenly jumped into. "Well I wish that he would have at LEAST gotten up at noon! I made a special lunch for him to eat and now he won't even get to enjoy it." She said while crossing her arms.   
  
Makoto wanted a chance to impress the cute new guy who for once didn't look like her old boyfriend, but was disappointed when she had been sitting there for the past three and a half hours and still not one chance to speak to Trunks presented itself. They would fit so perfectly together! She grinned at the mental picture of the two of them sitting on a blanket on a hillside, having a picnic. 'Maybe he can even show me some of his fighting moves!' She thought excitedly. The idea of sword fighting was definitely exciting! They seemed to have the most in common so they should click the easiest.   
  
"He's so cute! I can't wait to get a shot at him!" She said out loud without realizing it until it was too late. Everyone in the room just stared at her while she blushed furiously. Usagi frowned a little as she saw Ami's face fall at the statement, but she didn't say anything.   
  
Rei spoke up on Ami's behalf. "Who says it will be you who gets him?" She asked sternly. It was annoying her how they were all starting to act like a bunch of fourteen year olds again over a boy. Unfortunately everyone in the room seemed to think that she was referring to herself when she said this and a giant argument broke out between the three friends at this point. Usagi and Ami just sighed and shook their heads, grateful that the outers weren't here to witness this disgusting display. They all had to either work or stay in school, so they wouldn't be around until later tonight.   
  
Down the hall in the next bedroom, Trunks was lightly snoring in bed, while Chibi-Usa watched. Making sure that there would be someone around to explain things for when he woke up. She had never felt so guilty about anything in her whole eleven years of life as she watched him sleep in the chair beside his bed. It just wasn't fair. He shouldn't have to choose like that! "I'll help you I promise." She whispered.   
  
Trunks groaned and turned over. Chibi-Usa found herself holding her breath as he slowly opened his eyes and sat up, shielding his eyes from the light coming through the window. He looked around a bit before his eyes rested on her and he lowered his hand. "Hello." He said politely, not sure of what to make of this small child in here with him.   
  
"Um, hi." She said back shyly. "Um...I'm Chibi-Usa." She said while stretching out her hand for him to take. He smiled at her at politely took her smaller hand into his bigger one and lightly shook it before letting go. "The one from the future, right?" He asked, still smiling with interest while remembering the description of pink hair in odangos.   
  
She blushed a little. "Hai." She replied, nodding her head. His smile never faltered. "You and I have something in common then, I guess."   
  
She gave him a bright smile of her own. He was easy enough to get along with. "Ya, I guess we do!" She said while standing up from her chair. "Everyone's in the next room, They'll be glad that you finally woke up." She told him.   
  
"Finally?" He asked in confusion. "What time is it?"   
  
"One o'clock." She answered simply.   
  
"Oh no!" He yelled hopping out of bed quickly. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to be rude and sleep so late!" He quickly bowed and apologized trying to find his sword and bag so he could get dressed in some clean clothes since he'd slept in his old clothes last night.   
  
"Don't worry about it." She said, waving her hand dismissively. "It's not your fault. The tea that Rei gave you was just a little too strong that's all."   
  
"Oh" He said blushing. He was so embarrassed. Trunks wanted to make a good impression on these people not seem rude or intrusive.   
  
"Anyway" She continued. "Your duffle bag is under the bed. Ami put it in here when she was done with it last night."   
  
"Thank you." He said while getting on his knees as he reached for the bag that had all of his spare clothes in it. "And don't forget to wrap your tail around your waist when you come out." Chibi-Usa said, absentmindedly as she prepared to leave so that he could change. Trunks stopped what he was doing immediately and slowly turned his head towards her. "H-how do you know about that?" He asked almost fearful.   
  
"I'm from the future, remember? And besides, it's in plain sight right now." She said pointing at it. Trunks turned his head and gasped. There it was, waving lazily around in the air behind him. 'The stupid thing must've come undone when I was sleeping!' He thought angrily at himself for being so careless with it.   
  
His anger subsided quickly, however when he looked into Chibi-Usa's bright and smiling face. 'She *would* know since she's from the future. So I guess I can trust her to not tell anyone until I'm ready to let them know.' He reasoned with himself. "Thanks. I'll try to be more careful with it next time." He said softly. If he could trust anyone it would be another time traveller who saved the past. Right?   
  
She just nodded her head and ran lightheartedly out the door with her pink pigtails swinging behind her. She quietly shut the door and leaned her back up against it, more determined to make Pluto help her to find another way around this unfair fate. He trusted her. She could feel it when he dismissed the fact that she knew about his tail so easily. She felt so awful. She didn't feel like she was worthy of anyone's trust at this point, not with the secret she was keeping.   
  
Trunks finished dressing soon enough and came out of his room wearing similar clothes to what he was wearing yesterday with his sword on his back and his tail wrapped securely around his waist and underneath his shirt. Chibi-Usa pasted on her fake smile for him and motioned him to follow her. "Everyone's in that room." She said pointing to the one that was two doors down. He nodded his head and politely followed her.   
  
She opened the sliding door and they could both see everyone seated around a square table on the floor in the middle of a large room. "I'm sorry I slept in so late." He immediately apologized to them while bowing his head. Chibi-Usa may have explained to him that it wasn't his fault, but he still felt a little guilty for it. He was a guest here and shouldn't be acting so rude.   
  
"That's alright." Rei said to him warmly.   
  
"Ya, don't worry about it! It was Rei's fault anyway!" The brunette with the ponytail said jokingly. Makoto if he could remember Ami's descriptions right.   
  
"Why don't you sit down, Trunks?" The girl with the long blonde hair in a red ribbon offered, while moving over to make room for him next to her at the table. He smiled at the offer before he caught sight of Ami sitting on the other end of the table reading a book. His heart beat quickened a little at the sight of her. She looked *really* good in those reading glasses.   
  
"Thank you." He said politely, while going to take a seat next to her. Minako scowled lightly at this but said nothing. Usagi beamed at the sight. Maybe there was a chance for them after all. Chibi-Usa went and sat in a corner of the room.   
  
Ami put her book down on the table and took off her glasses. "Sleep well, Trunks?" She asked. He blushed a little at the question. "Um...Hai." He said while nodding his head. Makoto and Minako seemed to get a dreamy look in their eyes at the sight of his pink cheeks. A pink face and purple hair accented his features very nicely in their opinion.   
  
Trunks looked around the table. He could see Luna and Artemis sitting off in a corner, but they were just keeping quiet, watching him with interest. Trunks smirked. 'They probably don't know that I know they can talk yet.' He thought to himself.   
  
Then his manners caught up with him. "Oh, I'm sorry!" He said while offering his hand to Minako, since she was the closest, to shake. She took his hand, giggling like a thirteen year old at the attention, but he didn't seem to notice. "It's good to meet all of you." He said while letting go of her hand and offering it to Rei who gladly accepted it. "Thank you all for saving me." He said politely. "It was our pleasure." She said.   
  
"Ya, we would do it a thousand times over, so don't you worry." Makoto said as she shook his hand next. Trunks then turned his attention over to Usagi who was sitting on the other side of Ami, and he offered her his hand. He then took note of how her hair was done up. "You must be Serenity-Hime." He stated while they politely shook hands.   
  
"Yes I am. It's very nice to finally meet you, Trunks" She said, letting go of his hand.   
  
"Ami's told me so much about you all." He said a little excited to be around living people for the first time in a long time, but not just that, people that he could also relate to, in a sense. He could discuss certain things with them that he wouldn't be able to do in his own world. Like his powers for instance, and they could do the same with him.   
  
"Anyway, Trunks." Rei started. "I got my grandpa to give you a job here. You get a room here and your basic duties would be to just help Chad clean up and work in the gardens, but Grandpa runs a martial arts school here too so when he sees how skilled you are I'm sure that you'll get an immediate promotion. You can have it if you want." She said.   
  
Trunks couldn't believe his luck. "Sure! I'd love to stay here! Thank you so much! I really don't know what to say!"   
  
She just smiled at him. "Your welcome. Oh, and you won't have to do anything until the day after tomorrow, so that should give us plenty of time to get you acquainted with the Temple and with the city."   
  
"Hey, that's a great idea!" Makoto almost shouted. "As your first day here you should enjoy it! We could take you to see all the sights and have some fun around town too!"   
  
Ami then spoke up. "There's an exhibition at the art museum if you want to go, Trunks. I heard it's really good."   
  
Trunks was about to agree to this until Minako said something first. "C'mon, Ami! The art museum? Art is boring! I'm sure that he wouldn't want to see that!" She rested her elbows on the table as if she was getting bored at the mere mention of something like that. "Besides, They probably didn't even have art museums in his world. How is he supposed to know what he's looking at?"   
  
Trunks was a little taken back at that statement. He also felt a little insulted too. Everyone in the room except for Minako, seemed to catch on to the insulting thing that she had just said, and were all shaking their heads in embarrassment. "Actually, we did have museums and art galleries in my world y'know." He said, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice.   
  
"Really? I thought that your world was war torn." She said a little surprised. Ami groaned. Only one thought entered her mind at this point. And it was 'dumb blonde!'   
  
"It was, but that doesn't mean that we couldn't keep our own cultures. The androids couldn't be everywhere at once and some cities did just fine for years on end. We had all the things that this world had, and in some cases were even farther ahead in certain areas. It was just a little hard to enjoy it all."   
  
"So you could actually go out and see these things?" Minako asked.   
  
"Well, *I* couldn't. I was always out fighting. I've never been to school or went to a museum before in my life." He rested his own elbows on the table, saddened by the thought of what he couldn't of had. "I was always home schooled. Mom was just too afraid to send me off to a public school with all the attacks going on."   
  
Minako looked at everyone surrounding the table to see their scowling faces. She suddenly caught on to how stupid what she said was. "I'm sorry." She whispered, lowering her head in shame. Just because he had to fight his whole life didn't mean that he came from a world of people who were ignorant to the good things life had to offer.  
  
"Don't worry about it." He said lightly. At least she apologised. He then turned towards Ami. "I'd like to go with you the art exhibit when you have the time, Ami. I should learn a little about this world if I'm going to be staying anyway."   
  
She smiled at him. "That's great. We could also take you to a few good restaurants, the park and maybe the arcade too. We haven't been there in a long time!"   
  
Everyone in the room aside from Usagi was pretty shocked to hear Ami suggest doing something fun for a change, but they all did a good job in hiding it.   
  
"Y'know." Usagi said, looking at her watch. "We could get going now if you want. It's one o'clock so we could go see a lot of things and still get home only shortly after dark."   
  
"Are you sure?" Trunks asked. "I don't really want to be a bother."   
  
"It's no bother at all!" Ami insisted. "We should all go out anyway. It'll give the others a chance to get to know you better. Besides we all haven't just gone out on the town for no reason in a long time and you could use a nice relaxing day!" Everyone quickly nodded their heads in agreement for Trunks to see.   
  
He couldn't help but smile at them. "Alright then. I guess it could be fun." He turned towards the two cats who were still eyeing him and smirked. "Are the two of you coming along too?" He asked. They looked shocked at being spoken to. "You know we can speak?" Artemis asked. Luna jabbed him in the gut when he said that and scowled at him.   
  
Trunks nodded his head. "And you're not surprised by this?" Luna asked almost confused by his calm manner. "No. There was actually a talking cat in my world too. His name was Karin, he was a white cat and he carried around a cane and walked on two legs." Trunks slowly bowed his head. "He's dead now, though." Ami placed a hand on his back. She knew about Karin the cat and felt awful for him.   
  
They both sighed. "We might as well stop pretending to be stupid animal then and go with them." Artemis said. "Oh, and you should leave that sword here, Trunks." He added.   
  
"Why?" Trunks asked in confusion.   
  
"People around here don't normally carry around weapons like that. You should leave it here with me and I'll fix it up so you can carry around later. Okay?"   
  
"Um...sure." He replied, un-clipping his sword and reluctantly placing it in the centre of the table. Makoto just eyed it with real interest as Artemis hopped on the table and sat down next to it.   
  
"You're not coming, Artemis?" Usagi asked. "No. Too many girls for my taste." He replied almost laughing while all the females in the room gave him an evil glare to shut him up.   
  
"What about you Chibi-Usa? Aren't you coming?" She asked the little pink haired girl who was sitting off in the shadows. She just shook her head. "I have a few other things to see to. Maybe tomorrow."   
  
Usagi just shrugged her shoulders. "Alright then. We'll see you when we get back."   
  
"Well then lets go." Rei said, standing up. Everyone got up with her and headed for the door while Luna gracefully hopped on Usagi's shoulder and made herself comfortable for the ride.  
  
They all walked down the Temple hall together, Minako and Makoto making bets on who would get Trunks while they went, and stepped outside. The first thing Trunks took note of in the Temple yard was all of the beautiful blooming orchids, filled with pink blossoms that swirled in the wind. "Wow." He whispered in awe at the sight. He wasn't used to seeing such sights.   
  
Rei giggled at his shocked expression. "And just think, you get to live here!" she said proudly.   
  
He smiled at her gratefully before walking up next to Ami, who smiled back up at him shyly when she saw him. Minako and Makoto saw this and they both practically fought over who got to stand on his other side on their trip.   
  
As they all walked towards the Temple steps that led down to the street, no-one noticed the small glowing pink blob that twitched with anticipation off in the shadows of the nearby bushes. Waiting to become whole again to make it's attack.  
  
To Be Continued...............................  
  
A.N: Ok to clear a few things up, the reason why I am Using both Japanes and American names (Eg. Darien instead of Mamourou) Would be because I either don't know them, don't know how to spell them or don't like them. And to answer Kaiya there will be a few more chapters, and maybe even a side story when I'm done! ^_~ Won't tell you what it's about though. That could spoil my super sad tear jerker ending!!!! I love being an author. It gives me so much power over what cruel things I get to do to my characters!!!!! MWUHAHAHAHAHa....Cough...Cough!   
  
Bye for now! 


	8. With You

Disclaimers: I don't own em, please don't sue, you won't get much! ^_^  
  
Chapter Seven: With You  
  
The birds were all chirping happily from the trees, not a cloud was seen in the sky and the weather was just perfect. Another beautiful day in paradise. Or what Trunks considered to be paradise. Living at the Temple with Rei and her grandfather has so far been one of the best things to ever come his way. The cherry blossoms were still in bloom and small animals would normally come up to give him a visit when he was done work, because they knew how he would usually give them bread crumbs from his lunch. He also thought that Rei's pet crows were neat too.  
  
Trunks had been there for almost a month now, and like Rei had said her grandfather had promoted him to help with the martial arts courses as soon as he found out how skilled he was. He had to control his strength a great deal, but he loved working with all the little kids that would come in for lessons.   
  
Chad was a good guy too. A little foolish at times, but once he managed to convince him that he wasn't interested in dating Rei they became good friends. That Haruka girl didn't trust him too much, and he often caught her giving him dirty looks, but he didn't mind. All he had to do was be polite and hopefully she'd stop being so suspicious of him.  
  
It was a little weird living at the Temple at first. Ami was around for the first few days to help him on certain things though, so at least it wasn't too awkward. She was also around to help him explain to her friends about how much saiyans need to eat. It would have been really embarrassing if she wasn't there to help him in *that* area. To ensure that he didn't eat Rei out of house and home he made sure to work extra hard and tried and buy a lot of his own food.   
  
The temple uniform that he had to wear when working was the strangest. A white top with REALLY baggy purple pants and sandals. Rei and Chad wore similar garments when working so he just shrugged his shoulders and wore the thing. At least the pants made it easy to hide his tail.   
  
Luna and Artemis had used some kind of strange magic on his sword a few days after he'd arrived so that he could wear it around anywhere. It was now a metal sword pendant that hung on a thick chain around his neck and beneath his shirt. It would only go back to it's normal size whenever he changed into a super saiyan. This way he could bring it around with him wherever he went and not have to worry about losing it.  
  
He was so grateful to be in a place like this with so many nice people that he swore to himself that once he got Capsule Corp up and running he'd get a place of his own and then pay back everyone who so generously helped him, even though they said it wasn't necessary.   
  
He was outside right now, sweeping up the entrance way to the Temple. This was the part of the job he hated the most. Sweeping. He sighed tiredly. It was a lot more fun trying to train Mr. Hino's students. Another hour and he would be done at least, then he could get into his normal clothes and maybe go into town.   
  
Darien was done with his job about the same time he was, so maybe they could do something to pass the time. Trunks and Darien hit it off immediately and were now practically best friends. Artemis was cool too, and he would always say how great it was to have another male member of the group instead of a bunch of girls all the time.   
  
Right now the girls all had college so they wouldn't be out for another hour or two. That sucked. Trunks hated waiting to see Ami. One thing he didn't inherit from his parents was patience that's for sure. He knew he liked her, but it wasn't too much of a secret anymore. Darien found out one day when they were hanging out at the arcade on their day off.  
  
FLASHBACK:  
  
Trunks and Darien were sitting across from one another at the food section of the arcade. Artemis had to hide on Darien's side towards the wall so he wouldn't be seen. Cats weren't allowed inside, and if he got caught he would be thrown out. He found that it wasn't too bad however when Trunks and Darien would occasionally hand him some fries to munch on.  
  
Darien had just finished his double cheeseburger and fries while Trunks just finished off five of the same order in the same amount of time.  
  
"Man, Trunks I am never gonna get used to seeing you eat!" He said, laughing at the looks some of the employees sent their way. Trunks paid no attention to them, he was used to having people stare on the rare occasions when he went out to eat back at his own world.  
  
"You probably won't get used to it. Even after nineteen years of having me around and even LONGER with Goku, my mother could never fully get used to seeing a saiyan eat!"  
  
They all laughed at that statement when suddenly the bell to the door leading inside of the diner rang. Darien barely noticed it, much less cared, and Trunks would have ignored it too if it weren't for the angelic voice he heard amongst the group of girls.  
  
His ears perked and he quickly turned his head to the source to see Ami and the others walking in and chatting merrily among themselves. "What's the matter Trunks?" He turned his head to see Artemis and Darien giving him confused looks for turning his attention away so quickly for no apparent reason.  
  
"Oh, um...The girls just walked in that's all." He tried to say it casually, but knew he failed when Darien noticed the blush on his cheeks and raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Hey guys!" They all looked back to see the girls headed for them with Usagi in the lead. Ami seemed to look down more with every step she made towards him, and Trunks seemed to lean down a bit to get a look at her face.   
  
A look of recognition crossed Darien's face as he suddenly realised what was going on. 'They like each other!' He thought in amusement. Strangely they weren't doing a good job of hiding their attraction towards on another, but none of the other girls seemed to notice the looks they sent each other when the other wasn't looking as a verbal argument started as to who got to sit next to Trunks.   
  
During the argument, Trunks moved down his seat a bit and gave Ami the room she needed to sit down, and she happily did while Minako, Makoto and Hotaru argued with each other. The others soon noticed how the spot they had been arguing over was taken and scowled at the blue haired girl slightly. She lowered her head in embarrassment, but didn't move.  
  
Trunks breathed a sigh of relief at her presence next to him. He really hated how childish those girls acted around him. They made him feel so uncomfortable whenever they would latch on to his arms as he walked or stare at him when he trained or when his back was turned. What was so great that they found the need to stare at him so hungrily for?   
  
Once he thought he saw Ami looking at him when he was training, but when he turned his head to see for sure the look was gone. Not that he would have minded it though. In fact she never seemed to stare at him or drool like some sort of mental patient at the sight of him, and she never argued with the others for his arm either. So the very idea that she would be looking at him once in a while sent shivers up his spine. Maybe she was interested.  
  
Conversation soon started once the others found seats as close to Trunks as they could get. It was lunch break at their school so they were able to stay for a good half an hour before they needed to leave. Trunks found that he had the biggest urge to put his arm around Ami's shoulder with how close to him she was, but wisely held it in check. Darien noticed how nervous he seemed though and smiled at the sight. It was about time Ami got a guy, in his minds eye.  
  
They were able to start up conversations easily with each other with just about anything. Soon they were discussing school issues, which he found to be interesting despite how many times Minako would try to change the subject to try and get him to compliment her latest outfit for the fifth time. He said she looked good in it, what more did she want?  
  
They couldn't stay long though, soon their lunch break was over and they had to get back to class or else be late. The girls all quickly paid for their food, packed up their things and left the diner, Minako and Mokoto were practically blowing kisses at him on their way out, but Ami merely smiled shyly and waved as she left with them.  
  
Darien and Artemis watched in amusement as Trunks' eyes seemed to find to follow her out and watch through the diner window as she walked away.  
  
"See something you like?" Artemis asked in an amused manner. Trunks looked at him and blushed in the shock that he'd just been caught staring at Ami.  
  
Darien just smiled lightly. "You like her huh?" He asked in amusement.  
  
Trunks swallowed over the lump in his throat and slowly nodded his head. Darien just laughed out loud in amusement. "I knew it!" He practically shouted in amusement. "So why don't you tell her?" He asked curiously with a broad smile still in place.  
  
"Well...um...I've never had a girlfriend before, and I don't even know if she feels the same way." He said shyly.  
  
"Well you'll never know until you tell her now will you?" Artemis pointed out from his hiding spot. "Besides, I think she likes you too, anyway." He said knowingly.  
  
Trunks couldn't help but blush when he heard that. 'She likes me? ALRIGHT!!' He thought with his blush replaced by a happy grin.  
  
Both Darien and Artemis chuckled at the sight. Then Trunks brought up another subject of discussion right out of nowhere. "So what's going on with you and Usagi? Are the two of you dating?" He asked curiously. Ami had told him a thing or two about them and their relationship and he was just a little worried for them.  
  
He just blinked, wondering where the question came from. "Yes...Well...Sort of." He said unsurely. Artemis looked at little confused with how strangely he'd answered the question, but said nothing about it.  
  
Trunks twiddled his fingers a bit. He didn't mean to pry but he wanted to help his new friends with their problem. "What's wrong? Ami told me that the two of you were supposed to be madly in love or something and you two just act strangely towards each other."  
  
When Darien looked up at him and raised an eyebrow as if to ask "Why do you care so much?" Trunks quickly tried to explain himself. "I'm not trying to pry into your life or anything!" He said quickly in the fear of getting him mad. "Sorry, I won't ask about it again." He said sincerely, hoping that he would be forgiven for being so rude and intrusive.  
  
Darien actually gave him a friendly smile. "Don't worry about it. I'm not offended or anything. You're just curious and I understand." He said lightly.  
  
Trunks breathed a sigh of relief and mentally whacked himself in the head for being so nosey. 'Minako and Makoto must be rubbing off on me!' He thought to himself in slight embarrassment.  
  
"We're only taking a break from each other." Darien started from out of nowhere. Now that he thought about it, it would be nice to have someone to talk to about this. If any of the girls or the outers found out about their little problem then they would have a fit. He and Usagi just didn't need that.   
  
Artemis's jaw dropped when he said that they were on a break and was thankfully rendered temporarily speechless. Trunks looked up at him in puzzlement when he said that so he continued with a slight sigh.  
  
"Do you know that one day we're supposed to be king and queen of the world?" He asked. Trunks simply nodded his head and he took that as his signal to continue. "Well...I guess we're both just feeling pressured into it. It's like we have no choice but to do this whether we want to or not. I wouldn't know the first thing about ruling the world and neither does Usagi. It's not a good feeling knowing that your life has been planned out for you."  
  
Trunks smiled lightly when he heard that because he knew just how to solve his problem. "You don't have to be the king and queen if you don't want to y'know." He said.  
  
Darien just gave him a confused look, so he continued. "I mean it would probably be a good thing if you were, but if you really didn't want to you both could easily give the world back to the people who are ruling it now."  
  
"Hey wait a minute!" Artemis interrupted once he'd found his voice. "They can't do that! They *have* to be king and queen!" He yelled in annoyance.  
  
They both just ignored him. "That's actually a great idea, Trunks." Darien said happily as he got to his feet. "I'll go and tell Usagi about it. Thanks a lot!" He said as he went over to the counter to pay for his meal before leaving.  
  
When he was gone Artemis glared death at Trunks. "Care to tell me what that was about?" He asked icily.  
  
Trunks simply shrugged his shoulders. "You don't have to worry about it so much. They'll still be king and queen." He said before taking another sip of his drink.  
  
"And what makes you say that after the stunt you just pulled?" The cat asked a little louder, not caring if he was heard or caught anymore. He and Trunks may have gotten to be friends but he was sure that the kid must've gone nuts to try and interfere with something that in the long run was none of his business.  
  
"Chibi-Usa told me." He replied with another shrug. No one knew this yet but the little pink haired girl told him that soon her father would talk to him about a problem he and her mother were having involving their future together, and that he was supposed to give them both some advice that would help.  
  
After a half an hour of trying to explain this, he eventually he had to call Chibi-Usa and ask her to explain that to the ballistic cat who just refused to believe that he and Luna wouldn't already know something that important. Thankfully he apologised for all the yelling once it was cleared up, and the two were on better terms again.  
  
END FLASHBACK:  
  
That was about a week ago, and with the advice Trunks had given, Darien and Usagi were a close couple again. He would've known what the problem was even if Chibi-Usa hadn't told him about it. They both just felt pressured into something they weren't sure they could do, but because Trunks had shown them a way out they felt better knowing that if they decided not to, they wouldn't have to rule the world. They could just live normally if they wanted.  
  
He knew that they wouldn't do that though. Darien and Usagi were always trying to do the right thing for everyone with their powers so they would still be king and queen for earths sake. It was just better that they had some of the weight of it taken off of their backs so they could focus more on each other instead of the burden they would eventually have to carry.  
  
So far he still hadn't told Ami about what he felt for her. He was just a little afraid that perhaps Artemis was wrong and she really wasn't interested in him. The last thing he wanted to deal with in his first crush was rejection.  
  
At least they got to spend a lot of time together, especially alone. So far they hadn't told anyone about how he'd been training Ami to use her Ki. He just felt that if he let Minako or Makoto in on it then not only would they not get any work done, but neither would he with how often they were hitting on him. He had a sneaking suspicion that Rei knew about it with her psychic powers, but thankfully if she did then she wasn't saying anything.   
  
Trunks suddenly stopped what he was doing and looked down at his watch. He was surprised with how late it was. He was sweeping the same spot for almost two hours and was late to meet up with the others!  
  
'Kuso!' He thought to himself as he quickly discarded the broom and ran to his room to quickly change out of the temple uniform and into his normal clothes. For someone who hates sweeping so much he was pretty damn surprised with how caught up in it he was for so long. He hoped that Darien wouldn't be angry with him for not meeting up with him like they had planned.  
  
*********************************************************  
  
"What do think's keeping him?" Minako asked everyone in the room impatiently as she tapped her fingers on the coffee table. She wanted Trunks to hurry up and get there so they could all hang out and so she could maybe try to get a date from him before Makoto tried anything.  
  
Darien was sitting next to Usagi with his arm thrown around her shoulder, and had said that they had plans to go to the arcade and hang out with Andrew but he never showed up. Not that anyone was worried or anything, but they all would have still preferred him to be there with them. Especially Ami who decided to wear that nice blue sun dress to the Temple and hopefully catch Trunks' eye in a not so obvious manner, so Rei went out to see where he was.  
  
Just as Usagi was about to shrug her shoulders and answer her question, Rei finally walked in. "Where was he?" Makoto asked as impatiently as Minako did. Ami put her book down so she could hear the answer.  
  
Rei simply shrugged her shoulders. "He said he was working and just lost track of the time. He's getting changed right now so he asked me to say sorry to Darien for not showing up and that he'll be down in five minutes."  
  
Darien nodded hi head in understanding and decided not to hold it against him when he got back. Minako and Makoto just glared daggers at her. "What were you doing in his room when he was changing?" Makoto asked dangerously.  
  
Rei sweat dropped. "YOU BAKAS!" She shouted in an insulted tone. "I was talking to him through the door! I'm not some kind of hentai like the two of you!" She huffed out while pointing at them accusingly. Ami and Usagi just giggled in amusement  
  
They both narrowed their eyes at her. "Ya sure." Minako said sarcastically before putting her hands behind her head smugly. "Not like it matters anyway since he'll most likely go out with me." She said a-matter-of-factly.  
  
That caught Ami's attention pretty quick as she looked over at the blonde haired girl in slight disbelief. Rei simply narrowed her eyes at her. "What makes you think that?" She asked in an annoyed tone of voice.  
  
She just reached her hand into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper for everyone to see. "What's that?" Ami asked the question everyone was thinking, curiously.  
  
"It's a list from top to bottom of who has the biggest chances with Trunks." she said smugly before opening it up and starting to read it. "Obviously I'm at the top because I'm the prettiest single girl here." She said lightheartedly. Ami winced when she said that while Makoto just glared at her.  
  
"Makoto, your next since you both like fighting so much, and because as my best friend that makes you the second prettiest single." She continued, causing Makoto's glare to go down a notch. Once again Ami winced. Was she trying to send her a message on her looks or something? And exactly where was she on this list that she so happily made on everyone's behalf?   
  
"Rei, your third since you both have cool and unique powers, and Usagi it's nothing personal or anything, but since you're already taken you're near the bottom with Haruka and Michiru." She said while not looking up from the paper.  
  
"No offence taken." She replied angrily. Not because she was near the bottom, but because she knew how much this was hurting Ami, who was currently finding something to stare at on the floor in order to hide the hurtful look on her face. To think, this was one of the girls she thought of as a friend.  
  
"Chibi-Usa and Hotaru aren't on here because they're too young, and Setsuna is–HEY!!" She cried out as Ami reached across the table and quickly snatched the paper out of her hand before she even knew what was happening, and scrolling down the list to find her name.  
  
Tears almost immediately came to her eyes and fell onto the paper that her shaking hands held, smudging the ink. At the very bottom of the list was her name. Even the starlights were on the list, with the words 'In female form' bracketed next to them, and she was below them! She was even below Haruka and Michiru and they weren't even into guys!  
  
Usagi looked over her shoulder at the list and frowned deeply at the other blonde with what she saw.  
  
Minako saw the tears coming down her face and tried to say something that would justify what she had written. "Look, I'm sorry Ami, but you gotta face it, it's not like you hold too much of a candle to us. You're always studying, you dress too proper, you wear reading glasses, you're not very strong and the two of you have almost nothing in common." She explained as if that would suddenly make her feel better with how insulted she just was.   
  
Everyone in the room was silent. Did she even know how badly she was hurting her with all of that?!?   
  
Usagi tried to tell her to ignore it but she just wiped her eyes and stood up before walking over to where Minako sat, a mixture of hurt and anger in her eyes. Wordlessly she handed to paper back to her as a few more tears streaked down her cheeks. "You truly are stupid!" She choked out before running out the door.  
  
"What?!? Hey come back here!" Minako shouted angrily as she ran after her with every intention of getting an explanation and an apology, with everyone else following her out the door, hoping that she wasn't going after her with the intentions of fighting her. Darien just groaned tiredly before he too went after them. The last thing he needed was for a fight to break out.  
  
"Ami! Stop already!" Minako cried out as they both ran across the yard and for the front Temple gates as she quickly started catching up to her every step of the way. Ami wouldn't stop though. She'd drop dead before going back to that and would in no way let them catch her. She didn't want them to see her cry.  
  
Just as she reached a hand out to grab her shoulder and stop her, Ami took off into the sky and flew away at top speed, not caring if anyone saw her.  
  
The girls all gave a startled gasp when they saw her fly away like how Trunks had done so many times before, but all Rei could do was smirk at the sight. 'I knew it.' She thought to herself in amusement. She and Trunks *had* been spending more time together. All that they needed to do was get together before something *else* happened today.  
  
****************************************************  
  
It didn't take long for Ami to get tired from the flying, and need to land soon or else risk falling and getting hurt. A part of her just wanted to let herself fall, but thankfully she decided against it. There was a deserted park below her so she decided that it would be a good place to catch her breath and gather her thoughts.  
  
Unfortunately she still wasn't all that great at flying yet, and when she went in to land she ended up going way too fast and with a painful gasp, sprained her ankle and fell to her knees.  
  
'Just my luck.' She thought to herself as she tried to get into the air again, only to land on her face due to the lack of energy to keep her airborne. "Ow." She said dryly before getting back to her knees to resume her crying. It just wasn't fair. Why did they have to be so cruel? And she thought that she had friends! What a stupid joke!  
  
'All I do is read and study, I wear clothes that aren't always in fashion and have glasses. Is that why no one likes me?' She thought while choking back a sob. It wasn't her fault. That's just how she was!  
  
'At least Usagi doesn't think I'm a waste of time.' She thought while getting to her feet and hopping on over to the nearby park bench to sit down. She then took off her shoe and looked at the painful sprain that was strangely enough on the same foot as when she hurt herself in Trunks' world. It suddenly thundered out, but she didn't hear it as she was still examining her ankle.   
  
It was pretty bad, but with her sailor healing powers it should be gone in less than three days. She just couldn't believe that Minako had the nerve to make a list about who Trunks would want and think that it would be okay to insult her like that. Making it out as if she had no chance at all and in the long run not with anybody else either due to her looks and personality. Things that she could never change.  
  
Ami then leaned her back against the arm of the bench before hugging her knees close to her, trying not to add any pressure to her throbbing ankle as she did this.   
  
She then started to run her finger across the light fabric of the dress she was wearing before groaning in embarrassment. 'He wouldn't notice me no matter what I wore anyway.' She thought to herself in disgust. Perhaps Minako was right. Maybe she really was too much of a geek and far too weak to have anyone, much less someone so nice, kind and handsome, that not even a change in her look could help her.  
  
"I guess it can't get any worse." She thought out loud to no one in particular. And because the world is unfair and full of irony, it immediately started to pour rain on her. *Freezing* rain! Her eyes widened in complete shock before she hid her face in her knees and started to silently cry again.   
  
This was just perfect. She couldn't even run away to find shelter from the rain because of her ankle. And she wasted all of her energy flying there so that was out of the question. She was stuck in the cold pouring rain all by herself, and nobody cared.  
  
***************************************************  
  
"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late, I just got caught up in work.....and I...Uh, what's wrong?" Trunks asked once he finally came into the room just to find everyone sitting around the centre table with unhappy looks on their faces.  
  
Usagi snarled slightly in Minako's direction before getting to her feet and wordlessly handed him the list that Minako had made earlier.  
  
The other blonde cringed slightly as he looked over at the paper in his hands, and his eyes came together in slight disbelief and anger. Everyone had finally managed to tell the blonde exactly what it was that she had done to her friend, and she felt awful for it. The last thing she needed was for the drop dead gorgeous guy in front of her think she was immature over it.  
  
Trunks was completely disgusted with what he saw. The sheet of paper had a list on it of all the girls names and was even labelled "Who Has The Best Shot At Trunks". At the very bottom was Ami's name and at the top was Minako's. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who wrote this. What exactly did this girl think he was? Some kind of animal for a game?  
  
He quickly looked over at her, his anger replaced by shock. "Why would you write this?" He asked in disbelief.   
  
Minako stuttered a bit and shrugged her shoulders. "I-I don't know. It was just something that I did on a whim." She explained frantically.  
  
He looked back down at the paper before returning his gaze to her. His eyes then narrowed a little. "It's inaccurate." He said simply before sitting down and pulling a small pencil from out of his jacket pocket and starting to work on it.  
  
Minako and Makoto went in for a closer look to see what he was doing to the list that Minako had made, but he wouldn't let them see it as he erased a few things and started to write down on it again.  
  
When he was finished he handed the paper back to Minako who quickly looked it over and was shocked with what she saw. He erased her name and put Ami's at the top and hers at the bottom. "A-are you serious?!?" She asked in disbelief. He merely nodded his head.  
  
Usagi then reached forward and snatched the paper from out of her hands like how Ami had done earlier before looking at it. Her eyes softened with what she saw and she couldn't help but make an "awww" sound. "I knew that you two were gonna get together!" She squealed in delight. Minako and Makoto just looked both disappointed and ashamed of themselves for acting the way they did.   
  
Trunks simply blushed, he then looked around and took note of how Ami wasn't in the room with them and asked where she was. Once again everyone went silent, and it was Rei who had to answer him.  
  
"Her feelings were hurt when she read that list, so she flew off somewhere and now we don't know where she is."  
  
Trunks' jaw dropped when he heard that. Not because they knew that Ami could now fly, but because she had done it out in the freezing rain. "B-but it's storming out! She shouldn't be flying in that! What if she gets struck by lightning?!?" He shouted frantically and full of worry. She could easily get struck if she was in the air when it thundered out.  
  
Rei then started to push him towards the door. "You're the only one of us that can find her, so when you do you tell her that you like her and bring her back!" She demanded hotly.  
  
Trunks stopped dead in the doorway. Getting her was one thing, but telling her that he liked her!?! What if she didn't like him? "I don't know about that--"  
  
"Either you admit that you like her or I'll kick you out of the Temple!" She threatened as she pushed him out the door. Of course she wouldn't go through with it if he didn't, but enough was enough! They were both too shy for their own good and at the rate they were going at it would be years until they admitted their feelings for each other. Rei just couldn't wait that long!  
  
They were finally out the door and on the porch when she stopped shoving him. "Don't worry. Remember, I'm psychic. She won't turn you down. I know that for a fact." She whispered reassuringly for him.  
  
He just sighed before giving her a light smile. "Thanks, Rei." He said, truly grateful to her for what she was doing for him.  
  
She simply waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. Now hurry up and get your girlfriend before she catches a cold out in that." She ordered while pointing into the dark rain.  
  
Once again, he smiled for her. He then turned around without another word and quickly jumped into the air, the rain was already soaking through his clothes but he didn't care as he locked on to Ami's Ki and headed for her direction, with Rei calling out good luck to him as he went.  
  
********************************************************  
  
It was so cold out. Cold, dark and wet. Very wet! Ami couldn't help but shiver as she sat on the soaked wooden bench, her dress completely soaked through and clinging to her curves as she had her arms still wrapped around her knees in a weak and pitiful attempt to keep in some of her body heat.  
  
Suddenly she felt something being placed over her head, and in fear she quickly turned around to see who was there. The very last person she thought that she would see was Trunks. Standing worriedly above as he placed his Capsule Corp jacket over her head to shield her from the rain.  
  
"Hey." Was all he could say as he took a seat next to her.  
  
She sniffled a bit. "W-what are you doing here?" She choked out while wiping the rain drops and tears from her face. She then clutched the jacket closer to her to try and get all the heat she could take.  
  
Trunks fidgeted a bit, not seeming to notice that he was in freezing rain as he sat next to her. He was used to being cold, so in truth it didn't bother him that much. "I saw that list that Minako made, and I came to get you." He replied.  
  
A few more tears came down her face when she heard that. 'Now he knows how pathetic I am!' She thought miserably before starting to shiver again.  
  
Trunks saw this immediately, and mentally slapped himself in the head. He'd forgotten that she wasn't used to the cold like he was. "Here let me help." He said while moving a little closer to her. He then changed into a super saiyan and let the yellow glow surround the both of them to warm them. His sword then changed from the little metal pendant around his neck to it's actual size, strapping itself onto his back, but he paid no attention to it.  
  
Ami's eyes widened a little when she could no longer feel cold rain drops on her, and when she looked over through the golden aura to see that it was still pouring out she couldn't help but be amazed as she looked back at his teal eyes.  
  
"You wanna tell me why you ran out here?" He asked, knowing what the answer was but still needing something to start up a conversation with.  
  
She sniffed back a few more tears before replying. "You saw that list right?"   
  
He nodded his head, so she continued in a choked voice. "Well it was true. If there was a list made on every guy in the world I'd be at the bottom of all of them because no one would ever want me!" She cried out before shamefully hiding her face in her hands. The very last person she wanted to talk to this about was the guy whom she liked more than anything in the world, but the words just seemed to come out when he asked.   
  
He looked at her sadly before gently removing her hands from her face so that she would look at him. She gave him a confused look, so he decided to explain. 'Kami Rei, I hope you're right about this!' He thought to himself nervously.  
  
"That's not true, Ami." He whispered soothingly. "I'd want you."  
  
Her eyes widened to the point where it was almost unhealthy when she heard that. 'I-I heard wrong! I had to of! There's just no way that he would want me!'  
  
Trunks started to blush when she didn't say anything, and the only thing he could really think of doing was continue. "Well...It's just that...I really like you...and I was wondering if maybe you would want to....be with me?" He asked nervously.  
  
Once again, Ami didn't say anything. She was too speechless to have anything to say. There was *no* way she could have misunderstood something like that twice! 'Say something, say something, say something!!!' She screamed at herself, but nothing would come out of her mouth.  
  
Trunks bit his lower lip when she didn't respond, he just *had* to get a reaction out of her! He needed to know what she thought about this! So he did the only thing that he could think of. Which, had he been thinking more clearly at the time, he might have considered to be a bad idea.   
  
He slowly reached his hand out to cup her face before gently wiping the tears and rain drops from her soft cheeks. She blinked in confusion, but didn't say anything as he leaned forward placed the softest of kisses on her lips. Honestly, she loved it. Everything melted away when he did that. The cold, the hurt, the pain, all of it was gone and there was only the two of them, kissing beneath his golden light in the rain  
  
Once he realized what he was doing though, he quickly pulled away. "I-I'm sorry! I-I shouldn't have done that! I--"  
  
"Do you mean it?" She demanded, cutting him off.  
  
He just looked at her in confusion. "Mean what?" He asked.   
  
"Do you want me to be with you?" She asked, almost fearful that he would say that it was just a big mistake and really not be interested at all.  
  
He just blinked. "Of course I mean it. I've liked you since the first time I laid eyes on you, and I'm not very experienced with girls or anything...but...I think I love you." He admitted with a fresh blush forming on his cheeks.  
  
More tears came into Ami's eyes, but this time instead of tears of hurt and betrayal, they were tears of relief and joy. Somebody did love her and did want her, and that was all that ran through her head when she leapt into his arms, ignoring the pain in her ankle as she did, and quickly started to plant kisses all over his blushing face.  
  
"I love you too! I love you too!" She cried out between kisses before one quickly landed on his warm lips. It was nothing too big, just another quick kiss that they shared, they were both too shy to do anything drastic at this point, but all good things come to those who wait.  
  
When she pulled away from him, they both blushed furiously while still staring into each others eyes, they're faces still rather close. "You have no idea how happy you've made me." He whispered lovingly before he noticed how she was still shaking a little. "I'll take you home now." Trunks whispered, he realised how soaked they both still were as well, and the need to dry off was great.  
  
She merely smiled and nodded her head as he got to his feet and offered her his hand to take. She gladly took it to get up, but forgot about the pain in her foot as she instantly fell into his chest when she couldn't support herself.  
  
"Are you alright, Ami?" Trunks asked worriedly as he held her close.  
  
"Um...I just sprained my ankle earlier, that's all." She replied, a little embarrassed.   
  
"Oh, well then let me help you." He replied with a grin before scooping her up in his arms and holding her bridal style. "There, now all you have to do is sit back and enjoy the ride." He said to her happily before kissing her forehead and taking off into the air, his golden aura still protecting her from freezing rain.  
  
If Ami ever felt like a princess, it was most definitely now.  
  
*****************************************************  
  
Pluto looked at all the glowing building of the city from where she sat, trying to pinpoint where that Majin Buu creature was before it met up with what was left of Chaos.   
  
After much begging, Chibi-Usa had finally convinced her to help and find another way to deal with the problem that Trunks would have to face should this happen.   
  
No one knew this, but Chaos wasn't destroyed when the final fight between her and Sailor Moon occurred. Like what happened to Majin Buu, a piece of her was left over in a spiritual form that Pluto couldn't track down, and therefore, couldn't kill.   
  
She knew that by brining Trunks into their world, Majin Buu would live and follow him, and that's exactly what she wanted. Once Chaos had sensed it, she knew that they would merge to try and fight again, only this would create an advantage for them.  
  
If Chaos was left to her own devices, she would simply gather energy until she was strong enough to kill them all before they even knew what was happening. Crystal Tokyo would then not exist, she knew this for a fact. However if the dark energy of Majin Buu enticed her enough, then she would combine herself with it and create a physical form that the scouts would be able to see, challenge and defeat before it got too strong. Crystal Tokyo would then come into being.  
  
Unfortunately this didn't look too good for the young time traveller whom she was forced to trick into coming into their world, in order to get at his power and lure Majin Buu in with. With all the energy still needed for the fight, despite the fact that the sudden joining of the two would weaken it, Trunks' body would be destroyed, but only because he would chose to die rather than let another world fall. Especially since it housed his new love.  
  
Yes, Ami and Trunks were meant to fall in love, and yes she felt awful for using that against the two, but there was no other way. It was either that or everyone dies.  
  
Suddenly Pluto jerked her head up as she felt a flash of negative energy cross her senses, and a sudden dread overcame her. It felt as if she was falling into a black hole, and she immediately knew what had caused it.  
  
"They've joined." She whispered to herself sadly. There was nothing she could do now. The two powers had come together and now all that was left was to wait until it made it's first attack.  
  
"I'm sorry Small Lady, but I told you that this had to happen." She whispered to herself sadly. She then created a portal and went back to the time gates to think about a plan of action.   
  
God knew they would all need one.  
  
To Be Continued........................  
  
A.N: Please don't hurt me!!!!!!!!! _ Sorry about the whole Trunks dying thing, but I love causing stress among his fans! and before I continue with this fic I wanna see at least fifteen new reviews! Or else I'll be cruel and leave it here! MWUHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!   
  
And as for this song here, It's called With You, By: Jessica Simpson. And I was kind of reminded of Ami when I listened to it, so enjoy!   
  
P.S. For those of you who don't know, Trunks song would be "Somewhere I Belong" By Linkin Park ^_~  
  
The real me is a southern girl with her Levis on and an open heart  
  
Wish I could save the world, like I was super girl  
  
The real me used to laugh all night, lying in the grass just talking about love  
  
But lately I've been jaded, life got so complicated  
  
I start thinking about it, I almost forgot what it was like  
  
To know what it feels right  
  
Cause with you  
  
I can let my hair down   
  
I can say anything crazy  
  
I know you'll catch me right before I hit the ground  
  
With nothing but a T-shirt on  
  
I never felt so beautiful  
  
Baby as I do now  
  
Now that I'm with you   
  
With you, with you, with you  
  
Now that I'm with you  
  
You speak and it's like a song  
  
And just like that all my walls come down  
  
It's like a private joke, just meant for us to know  
  
I relate to you naturally  
  
Everybody else just fades away  
  
Sometimes it's hard to breathe  
  
Just knowing you found me  
  
Cuz I'm thinking about it, I almost forgot what it was like  
  
To know what it feels right  
  
Cause with you  
  
I can let my hair down  
  
I can say anything crazy  
  
I know you'll catch me right before I hit the ground  
  
With nothing but a T-shirt onI never felt so beautiful  
  
Baby as I do now  
  
Now that I'm with you  
  
With you  
  
Come and take me  
  
Love you save me  
  
Like nobody else  
  
Now I can be myself  
  
With you  
  
With you  
  
I can let my hair down  
  
I can say anything crazy  
  
I know you'll catch me right before I hit the ground  
  
With nothing but a T-shirt on  
  
I never felt so beautiful  
  
Baby as I do now (Baby as I do now)  
  
Now that I'm with you  
  
I can let my hair down  
  
I can say anything crazy  
  
I know you'll catch me right before I hit the ground  
  
With nothing but a T-shirt on  
  
I never felt so beautiful  
  
Baby as I do now  
  
Now that I'm with you 


	9. Back At The Temple

Disclaimers: I do NOT own Sailor moon or DBZ OR the characters portrayed here. I'm just using them for the sake of this story and for my own personal enjoyment to write, no money is being made, please don't sue me! _  
  
Chapter Eight: Back At The Temple  
  
The early morning sun shone through the trees and onto the road and sidewalk as people drove by and walked towards their destination. Giving them warmth until they walked back into the shade.  
  
Trunks held Ami's hand protectively as they strolled down the street and towards the Temple at an even pace. Making conversation about this and that to take their minds off of things until they got there. Ami's leg had healed a great deal during her night of rest. A lot more than what she'd expected, so walking wasn't any trouble at all.  
  
Trunks didn't go back to the Temple the night before when he found his tenshi in the rain. She insisted that he stay with her since her mother wasn't home, and also because she didn't want him flying out in the storm. Trunks, being the gentleman that he is, gave Ami a kiss goodnight ( a rather *long* kiss!) and accepted the couch. They were both too new to the relationship to do anything *too* serious!   
  
Ami couldn't help but giggle as she remembered the sound that Trunks made when he kissed her goodnight. It came from deep in his throat and sounded just like a low purring. It was such a sweet sound, and she loved that it was she who made him make it. She couldn't help but wonder what other cute little traits he inherited from being a half saiyan.  
  
Although the idea of spending the day at Ami's place seemed rather appealing, they had to go back. Trunks lived at the temple and Ami deserved an apology for how she was treated by her friends. At least that's how Trunks felt. He was grateful that she at least had Usagi and Rei around for her. Minako and Makoto seemed nice, just insensitive to how another person may feel towards their criticisms. Especially Minako!  
  
But they were her friends, and good people in the long run. They just needed a bit of a reality check.  
  
When they finally reached the steps of the temple, they halted for only a moment. As if getting ready for what could or could not await them. They had called everyone up so they were all there and waiting. "Ready, tenshi?" Trunks asked, using his new favourite pet name for Ami.  
  
She blushed a little at the endearment and nodded her head, snaking both of her arms around his available arm before they headed up the stairs together. Trunks had tried to convince her that Minako appeared to be sorry, and that she had nothing to be nervous about, but she was still a little afraid. Not that he blamed her though.   
  
From what he could sense, all the girls aside from Setsuna and Chibi-Usa were up there, including the outers. And he wasn't looking forward to seeing them today. Haruka and Michiru had something against him from day one, and they didn't trust him at all. Mainly because he wasn't human and the power he had, but even when he tried to explain to them that even they weren't fully human, Haruka still sneered at him before walking back to her dark little corner with Michiru in hand.  
  
Not too trusting of people, that one.  
  
Trunks twitched his tail slightly to make sure that it was still in place beneath his shirt, and was thankful to feel that it was. The last thing he wanted was for the two of them to find out about it. Haruka would just add it to her list of reasons to hate him while Michiru would simply frown and shake her head like some kind of disappointed mother. He really didn't need that today.   
  
He wasn't afraid of them or anything, just their influence on the others. When Minako and Makoto were chasing after him, Haruka would always put in her two cents about how it was a bad idea and that people should just stay away from him in general, and he was just a little worried that she would try to talk his tenshi out seeing him.  
  
That and she told him about the trouble she got in with her when they found out about how she told him about who and what *they* were. So he was also a little worried for her when it came down to them. He didn't want to cause her anymore heartache, especially with the people she considered to be her friends. So lets just say that he was nervous. But then again, so was she.  
  
When they finally made it up the Temple steps, that for some odd reason seemed way to long this day, the entire group was waiting for them outside.   
  
Trunks and Ami were happy to see Usagi, Darien, and Rei in the front of the group, with warm smiles on their faces as they came. Evidently it was obvious to them what had happened between the two the night before.  
  
Minako and Makoto were right behind them, heads slightly down and a shameful look on both of their faces. 'At least they know that they were in the wrong.' Trunks thought to himself, happy to see that at least they showed regret with how they treated their friend.  
  
Setsuna was nowhere in sight, and neither was Hotaru, but Haruka and Michiru were there, standing in the background and not looking too happy at the sight of them. Although Michiru was doing a better job of hiding it as she simply frowned, whereas Haruka was scowling something fierce!   
  
But that look was immediately replaced with shock as he unhooked her arms from his and quickly wrapped it around her slender waist, returning her sneer with one of his own that just shouted out loud how there was nothing in the world she could do about their relationship. They were together now, and that was all there was to it.   
  
Trunks honestly never thought he'd be happy to have inherited his face from his father, that automatically intensified his gaze and almost made the short haired blonde back down. Unfortunately she quickly realised what she was doing and regained her composer before she could show any signs of weakness to him. Then in one swift motion, hooked her own arm around her koi's waist and headed back inside, grumbling something that even his superior saiyan hearing couldn't pick up.  
  
When they were both gone, his sneer instantly faded from his face, and he couldn't help but grin at his little victory.   
  
When he finally decided to look back at the others, his face naturally turned a nice shade of pink once he saw everyone looking in the direction that Haruka had just stormed off in. They had obviously seen his little show, but he was grateful to see the amused smirks on their faces as they also realised the little mind war he'd just won.  
  
"Y'know, you're rather cute when you're angry." Ami pointed out while snuggling up closer to him, an act that only increased the blood flow to his face.  
  
"Uh, thanks tenshi." Was all he could say in his embarrassed state.   
  
Everyone else finally took not of the sight in front of them, and made cute little awing sounds before practically running up to get all the juicy details about the night before. A few of them got a little suspicious of them when Trunks didn't return to the Temple the night before, and Darien was the only one of the group who remained mature about the possibility that nothing could have happened.  
  
"Look Ami," Minako started. "I'm really sorry about last night. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings like that." She said shamefully and sounding truly sorry for what she did with the list.   
  
"Ya, sorry about all that," Makoto quickly jumped in. "I guess we didn't think about your feelings." She said in an equal amount of shame with her head turned slightly down.   
  
Needless to say, they were both embarrassed. And it was obvious to both Ami and Trunks that they were also being sincere with their apology. Usagi, Darien and Rei were still off in the background, smiling brightly at their actions. Proud of what they were doing and the bravery required to do it.  
  
Ami was glad to hear the apology most. This showed that they cared. *This* showed that she really wasn't alone amongst the group. Maybe she could forgive them. It would take a while to trust them completely again, but it was a nice start. "Apology accepted guys." She said happily with a warm smile that they couldn't help but return.  
  
Trunks also smiled down at her. Happy to see that his was tenshi happy and smiling brightly as if nothing had ever happened.  
  
"Y'know," Minako started. "The two of you actually look rather good together." She pointed out with a smile. "Don't you agree?" She asked, turning to Makoto. The question caused both Ami and Trunks to immediately blush.   
  
"Actually ya." She replied. Putting her head in her hand in a thoughtful position. "I'm surprised the two of you didn't get together sooner."  
  
"Trunks was just too shy." Darien pointed out with a smirk, causing Trunks' embarrassment to deepen at the "awwww" sounds the girls made.   
  
"Traitor." The time traveller mumbled in good humour, causing his new girlfriend to chuckle in amusement.  
  
"Lets head inside to talk now guys." Rei suggested. "I've got some things I'd like to talk to you all about, and something to eat too." She added before turning around and going, not waiting to see the sparkling look in both Usagi's and Trunks' eyes at the mention of food. In fact bringing it up only reminded him of how hungry he was, considering the last time he ate was early yesterday.  
  
His stomach actually growled a little, letting him know that it also liked the idea of food too.  
  
Ami looked up at him and couldn't help but giggle, knowing where is train of thought had gone.  
  
They all then made their way into the temple's living area, and Trunks was less than impressed when he saw Haruka and Michiru already inside. Standing in a corner and whispering amongst themselves, occasionally taking glances in his direction and shooting him distrustful looks. He just ignored it as he took a seat next to Ami in front of the table, and as everyone else did the same.  
  
"Here ya go, Trunks." Rei said cheerfully as she placed a plate of chicken fried rice in front of him. She was extremely happy that the two shy little love birds had finally got together, and she couldn't help but show it in her voice. "You must be hungry."  
  
"I'm starving!" He replied, almost immediately shovelling the food into his mouth with his chop sticks. Normally he would be the type to be polite and wait for everyone else to start eating too, but he became used to them telling him to start eating first. They all knew that he needed to eat a lot and eat it fast, so they all thought that they could get down to business quicker if he finished first.  
  
When Usagi received her plate, she also started to shovel the food into her mouth at a speed that almost equalled Trunks'. Everyone sweet dropped at the sight. Trunks had an excuse to eat that fast! He was half alien! She was just being impatient and impolite in their opinion, but they all loved her anyway. Whether or not she was the only one who could compete with Trunks in a food eating contest, they still thought of her as their princess.  
  
Once everyone had a plate in front of them, Rei started talking about the problem at hand, and both Trunks and Usagi slowed down with their eating in order to listen properly, but still taking bites here and there.  
  
Trunks didn't notice this, but eventually his tail made its way out from under his shirt, while she spoke, and wrapped itself affectionately around Ami's waist. Her eyes widened slightly and she was a little startled at first, until she realised what it had to be.  
  
Taking a quick look down at the tail around her waist, she merely smiled fondly at it as it continued to cuddle her. Almost like a cats tail. She didn't mind the attention he was giving her anyway, so she didn't disturb it as she leaned on Trunks' arm and smiled up at him.   
  
"So what's this problem all about anyway?" Usagi asked over a mouthful of food. She would much rather be out celebrating Ami and Trunks' get-together than be in here, despite how great the food was.  
  
Trunks was pretty much thinking the same, but if this was important than it was best if he listened, so he wisely kept his mouth shut.  
  
Haruka and Michiru listened with a fair amount of interest, knowing that while the inners could be useless at times, they could still pick up a few things that the two of them couldn't.  
  
"Well, it's just so strange," She started. "Last night, sometime after Trunks left, I felt this strange vibe, and it wasn't a very friendly one either." She started, immediately peaking Haruka's interest with the thought that it could somehow be connected to him  
  
"Strange like how?" Trunks asked, immediately wondering why he wouldn't sense something that could be both important or dangerous, or even both.  
  
"Well, it's just that it felt like there were two powers at first, but only for a split second before there was only one, and then it disappeared as quickly as it came." She explained, a curious expression on her face.  
  
"It can't be another enemy." Usagi pointed out. "Chaos was supposed to be our last one."  
  
"Maybe Crystal Tokyo is coming?" Minako asked.   
  
"No, it's too early for that." Ami said. "We still have a few more years until the planet freezes and even then we'll all have to sleep for about a thousand years before waking up." She pointed out.  
  
Trunks sweat dropped. He knew about the story of Crystal Tokyo from Chibi-Usa and Ami, but it still sounded strange hearing about the planet freezing for a thousand years. That and it also made him a little nervous. At least for his tenshi.  
  
"Haruka, I sensed that last night as well, remember?" Michiru whispered so that no one else could hear her.  
  
"Yes, I remember, Koi." She whispered back, eyeing the time traveller with distrust. Naturally her love had told her about what she had felt the night before, and it only served to heighten her suspicions about the lavender haired young man at the table.   
  
She did tell Usagi that she trusted her judgment when he first arrived, but in all honesty she still couldn't get that weird feeling out of her head or the pit of her stomach. That there was something about him he was keeping from them, as well as the fact that he was going to do something that would hurt them, or at least *one* of them. And the fact that he and Ami were now seeing each other gave her a very big idea as to who he would be hurting.  
  
When the short haired blonde turned her head back to her Koi, she caught a twitching something in the corner of her eye and immediately shot her head back to where Trunks and Ami were sitting.  
  
At first it looked like some kind of fuzzy belt, and she couldn't help but quirk her eyebrow at it in confusion, assuming that Ami had long ago grown out of the strange little trends that most young girls would get into. But then it moved a little. It actually moved!  
  
Taking a closer look at it she was surprised to see that it seemed to be connected to Trunks! Like it was apart of him! 'What the hell does that bastard think he's doing!' She mentally shouted in a rage, fearful that this proved him to be some kind of negeverse monster. For all she knew he was sucking the life out of poor Ami right now!  
  
This anger that the sight of Trunks' tail had caused, in no way clouded her judgment. She still knew that he was about a hundred times stronger then she was, so she made sure to tell Michiru to keep quiet as she pulled out a pocket knife and snuck up on him.  
  
He was currently transfixed on telling Makoto that he wouldn't be able to train her to fly anytime soon, so he didn't see her sneaking up.   
  
Ami, however, caught sight of her in the corner of her eye, but was too late to do anything about it as Haruka grabbed the tail from around her waste and squeezed it as hard as she could, causing Trunks to automatically cry out in pain, before she then put the knife to it, getting ready to cut it off if needed. But the cry of pain as well as the fact that he just seemed to freeze up startled her. She honestly wasn't expecting that.  
  
"Let...go!" He said through tightly clenched teeth, almost as if he was having trouble speaking.  
  
"Haruka, let him go!" Ami cried out, immediately pushing the knife away as she tried to pry her tight hand off of his tail, knowing the pain he was in must be excruciating.  
  
She still kept her tight grip on the fuzzy object though, she was far too determined to get answers and wasn't about to drop the tail if this was his weakness. Everyone else was far too stunned to know what was going on. They all saw her holding a fuzzy brown rope thing yet he cried out and was telling her to let him go. What was that thing?  
  
"What the hell is this!?" She demanded hotly while ignoring Ami's prying fingers. "What the hell are you anyway?!?"  
  
"It's his tail! That's all!" Ami cried out, still trying to get her to let it go.   
  
Usagi blinked, wondering how on earth Trunks could have a tail, yet when she looked at him and saw how his face had twisted up with the obvious pain he felt, she snapped herself out of the trance she was in and intervened.   
  
"Haruka, let him go already!" She demanded hotly, in her princess tone that commanded obedience.  
  
She looked over at her in a state of shock. She'd just discovered that Trunks had a tail and was hiding it from them. Who knows how many other secrets he had. This proved that he couldn't be trusted. "Koneko, he has a--"  
  
"I don't care! Let it go. You're hurting him." She folded her arms over her chest as if to try and prove that she would be getting her way in this argument.  
  
She only hesitated for a moment at the command, but then reluctantly and very slowly loosened her grip on the tail before dropping.  
  
Trunks immediately reached out for it before gently taking it in his hands and blowing on it, as if that would make the pain disappear. He then sneered at her. "What the hell is your problem? It's just a tail!"  
  
"Oh how cute!!" Minako and Makoto shouted in unison, running across the table to get a better look at it. Ami just shook her head tiredly at their behaviour while sweat dropping. Evidently they still thought nothing was wrong with a little "Harmless Flirting". Or so they liked to call it.  
  
"Why do you have a tail, Trunks?" Darien asked him curiously. "Does it do anything?"  
  
Trunks shifted at the question through his attempts to keep the girls at bay, and Ami stuttered a little. They still hadn't found a way to tell them all about the affects of his tail if he were to ever look at the full moon. And the fact that Haruka was still trying to find ways to brand him as an enemy wouldn't help things out when they told them.  
  
"It's just something that Saiyans are born with, but I'm not supposed to look at the full moon because of it." He explained.  
  
"Why not?" Haruka demanded, causing him to wince and look over at Ami for help.  
  
"Um...Usagi, can this wait a while, and I'll tell you and Darien about it in private?" She asked timidly, knowing that to tell them all at once would be a *huge* mistake.  
  
The blonde simply shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, I have no problem with that. Do you, Darien?"   
  
He shook his head. "No, not if it's important." He replied, causing the both Ami and Trunks to let out a sigh of relief.  
  
"Koneko! You can't possibly be taking their si--"  
  
"Maybe you and Michiru should go and do a patrol around the city." Usagi cut her off. "The faster we find out what it was that set off Rei's senses yesterday the better." She didn't exactly know why Haruka was being so mistrustful of Trunks, especially when she already told her that she trusted her judgment, but frankly she didn't care. Pluto told her that he could be trusted, and she was sticking by it. None of them knew what was normal in his world, so who cared if he had a tail! Despite how strange that was.  
  
"But he hid this from us! Who around this room even knows what exactly he is?! For all we know he's the enemy Rei sensed last night!"  
  
"That's not true!!" Trunks shouted at her as he stood up in a rage.  
  
"Just leave and do a scout of the city, Haruka! We'll talk about this later." Usagi ordered, narrowing her eyes in a threatening manner that surprised most people in the room.  
  
She openly seethed at the command, but still threw Trunks another sneer before exiting the room with Michiru in tow. She didn't care if she was going back on her word with her princess. She was getting weird feelings and strange vibes every time he was within eyesight, and she was determined to find out what was going on with him.  
  
When they were gone, Darien turned to them. "I'm sorry about that, Trunks. But as you've seen, Haruka isn't so trusting of people." He explained.   
  
Trunks let out a frustrated sigh in the direction that Haruka had just gone off in. "It's alright, I suppose I should've told you all about this sooner anyway." He said, letting his tail wave around lazily in the air now that the cat was out of the bag. "I was just afraid that you would all take it badly." He confessed in slight embarrassment.  
  
"Well you said that it was normal for a saiyan to have one, right?" Minako said. "So then there shouldn't be a problem with it at all."  
  
"And it's very sweet looking too!" Makoto squealed. "Can I touch it?" She asked, getting stars in her eyes at the thought, causing a small flash of jealously to run through Ami's system, knowing first hand what the affects of petting his tail were.  
  
"Um...I think it's best if you don't." He said nervously, also knowing what it would do to him. Ami gave him a giant smile when she heard him turn the brunet down. 'This is exactly why I love him.' She thought proudly.  
  
Makoto made this little whimper of disappointment, before crossing her arms and sitting straight again. She *really* wanted to feel if his tail was as soft as it looked.  
  
"So anyway," Usagi said, cutting off the conversation about Trunks' tail before it had a chance to start up. "I think we should all get into pairs and scout the city with Haruka and Michiru. But I seriously think it would be best if Trunks and Ami went together and did it on the opposite ends of where they'll be." She pointed out, looking towards them and waiting for their approval.  
  
They both smiled. "More than fine with us!" Trunks said, placing an arm around his Tenshi's shoulder, causing her to lightly blush.  
  
"Alright then, when I can get a hold of them, I'll contact Setsuna and Chibi-Usa to tell them what's going on."   
  
"Since when are you so responsible, Odango?" Rei asked. Not meaning Odango in an offensive term.  
  
She shrugged. "Maybe I'm finally growing up?" She asked playfully, causing Ami, Trunks and Darien to snicker, knowing what the hidden joke was.  
  
Minako, Makoto and Rei all let out a loud laugh. "Ya right Usagi!" They all cried out as if it was the funniest thing they had ever heard.   
  
Ami frowned a little as she watched, but with the smile on Usagi's face she knew that the other girl didn't take offence. It was, after all, her choice to act the way she did, So she never really did take the teasing too badly. So far only she, Trunks, and Darien knew about how intelligent she really was, but just kept quiet about it out of respect for her wishes.  
  
"Alright now, seriously," Rei laughed, pulling out her transformation pen. Trunks stiffened and Ami gasped lightly at the sight of it. She didn't get around to telling them all about what would happen to their clothes when they transformed, out of embarrassment. "I think we should all just transform and go looking around the city." She said calmly as everyone else in the room pulled out their pens and Usagi got her broach ready.  
  
"NO!!" Ami and Trunks cried out quickly before they all changed in front of him.  
  
They all just gave them confused looks. "What's the matter?" Usagi asked.  
  
Trunks looked over at his tenshi. "You didn't tell them yet?" He asked.  
  
She blushed. "Um, not yet, it was just too embarrassing." She explained.  
  
"Tell us what?" The blonde asked again. Darien simply frowned in a thoughtful manner, wondering what was going on while everyone else just looked at them in confusion.  
  
Ami stuttered a little, trying to find the words to say before giving up and walking across the table to where Usagi sat. She then got down on her knees and whispered something in her ear.  
  
Her blue eyes immediately widened. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?" She screeched, causing Trunks to quickly cover his sensitive ears in order to protect them from the sound.  
  
Ami blushed again while nodding her head.  
  
"What is it? What's going on?" Minako asked with worry.  
  
"Ya." Followed and equally worried and curious Makoto.  
  
Darien frowned again. "Usa-Chan, what is it?" He asked.  
  
She brought up her hand to go over his ear as she whispered to him. He leaned down a little to hear her better before his own eyes widened. "Wow. Are you serious?" He asked, looking from both her to Ami and Trunks.  
  
They all nodded their heads.  
  
"What's going on here?" Rei demanded, getting annoyed at the whole situation.  
  
"I'll tell you guys about it later." Usagi promised. "But for now, could you all just transform in separate rooms or something?" She asked in a nervous tone of voice, telling them how importan the situation was.  
  
They all sighed and groaned at not being let in on the important secret, but still got up and did as she said, letting Rei show them to separate rooms they could use.  
  
When they were all gone, Darien turned to where Ami was still kneeling and asked, "How did you find out about this?"   
  
Once again she blushed, as did Trunks as they shifted uncomfortably. Usagi caught that look though, and she couldn't help but burst out laughing as the realization hit her. "Are-are you serious?" She giggled, trying to contain her growing laughter.  
  
Darien eventually caught on to what she meant and couldn't help but chuckle as well. "Must've been a bad nosebleed!" He joked, causing Trunks to turn an even deeper shade of red. 'He doesn't know *how* bad.' He thought, looking over at his blushing tenshi.  
  
Usagi was still giggling next to her. "At least you didn't bleed to death!" She cried out before bursting out laughing again. Ami just hid her face in her hands. She knew that they were just playing around, but it was still humiliating.  
  
What they didn't know was that Minako was still on the other side of the door, listening to what they were saying.   
  
She wanted to hear what the secret was, so when Rei and Makoto were out of eyeshot she went back. 'I can't believe her!' She inwardly fumed. 'I apologized to her and everything! And the only reason why he's even with her was because she was showing off her body to him?!? I can't believe her!!' She thought in a rage before storming off. More determined now than ever to get Trunks to be with her.  
  
Meanwhile Trunks and Ami were still inside, trying as hard as they could to ignore the laughter before giving up.  
  
Trunks sighed. "C'mon tenshi," He called while standing up. "Let's go look around the city before they laugh themselves to death or something."  
  
"Coming!" She said, eager to get away from it as well. She quickly ran over to him before he took her hand and laced his fingers between hers. He then quickly gave her a soft kiss on the lips before they started walking out the door. He always felt the need to kiss her when she was near, he didn't know why, he just did. Not that she minded of course.  
  
But once they were out the door they both couldn't help but sweat drop as they heard Usagi call out to them. "Try not to get another nose bleed, Trunks!" Then more laughter followed.  
  
"They are going to have the time of their lives telling the others about that." Ami explained as they headed for the exit.  
  
He just sighed, letting his tail come back out to wrap around her waist again. "Ya, I know, tenshi." He said, before smiling lightheartedly. "At least if they get too bad we can always fly away from them." He said, causing a bubbling laugh to erupt from Ami's throat.  
  
************************************************  
  
"Chibi-Usa, it's almost time." Pluto said to the little pink haired girl in front of her.  
  
She looked up at the guardian of the Time Gates with big eyes before slowly nodding her head in understanding.   
  
"I'll need you to help me with it." She explained softly.  
  
Chibi-Usa shot her head up in shock. "B-but why? What do you need my help for?" She asked, not really wanting to have a bigger part of this.  
  
"It will just make things easier for me if I have another set of hands to work with." She explained, giving her a pleading look.  
  
The little girl's eyes became shiny. "Will he hurt?" She asked with a trembling lip.  
  
Pluto nodded her head. "Yes, I'm afraid he will feel pain. But it's for the best, aino-chan. You know that."  
  
Chibi-Usa slowly nodded her head again. "Alright." She sais slowly, feeling so much guilt as she did. If only there was another way.  
  
"Very well then, it's done." Pluto said, pulling out Ami's personal Time Key. "We'll have to keep this a little longer in order to use it, but there should be enough energy for us. It was hard work getting it from the residents of the city, but we should be fine." She explined in that motherly voice of hers. "You should transform now, it's almost time."   
  
  
  
To Be Continued..................  
  
A.N: I am *SO* sorry that it took so long to get this chapter out! But once again my disk broke on me and everything got erased _ So i had to start over again, and I really didn't feel like doing that until recently, once again sorry. And I'm also sorry that this chapter sucks so bad, but i just had to put in a few things that i forgot to explain earlier, like Trunks' tail and the whole transforming thing. And i bet it didn't flow too well either Not just into the story anymore i suppose. But it is my first story, and I still like it enough to finish for those patient enough to wait for an update and review me when i get em out. ^_~  
  
Actually this was supposed to be the chapter where i killed Trunk off, but i guess that will have to wait until the next chapter! MWUHAHAHAHA! *cough-cough* Anyway, sorry about the delay, and for those of you who have noticed that I started another story please don't kill me!  
  
Also, as for that purring when he kisses, I heard that from somewhere that Saiyns purr like cats when they kiss, and it sounded cute, so i added it ^_~  
  
And on a last note, there should only be about three or four chapters after this one, just so you all know when it ends.  
  
So even though this chapter sucked.....please review it! Y'know ya wanna! The little purple button is calling your name!!! ^_~   
  
bye for now! 


	10. Don't Die Alone

Disclaimers: I don't own Sailor Moon or Dragon Ball Z. I'm just using the characters for the sake of this story and for the fun of it. No money is being made at their expense, please don't sue me you'll only get my pocket link and perhaps my bastard cat!  
  
Chapter Nine: Don't Die Alone  
  
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Sailor Mercury checked the scans that her computer produced for the hundredth time that hour, looking for any trace of whatever it was that set off Rei's senses earlier and caused enough panic in her to bring it up the last time they were at the Temple.  
  
Not the most pleasant experience she'd ever had. Not only did Haruka feel the need to attack Trunks simply because of his tail, but they were also both laughed out of the temple when the secret to the sailor transformation was discovered. Or actually, *how* that secret was discovered.  
  
She sighed at the thought. 'They're never going to let me forget about that.' She thought tiredly, rubbing her temples with her free hand.  
  
"What's wrong, tenshi?" Trunks asked innocently as he walked back up to her. He was in his super saiyan form to prevent anyone from recognising him, with his sword strapped to his back. Just waiting to be used in a battle.  
  
"Nothing's wrong. I was just thinking." She replied, going back to her computer scans.  
  
Trunks pouted a little at the lack of attention, before deciding to fly over behind her and look over her shoulder to see the small computer screen she held. She couldn't help but giggle at him. "I can't concentrate when you do that." She said with a smile.   
  
He also couldn't help but grin at her. "I know." He said teasingly as he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up, startling her and causing a bubbling laugh to erupt from her throat almost at the same time. Finding his playfulness quite amusing.  
  
He just couldn't help but play around. He knew that there would be problems with Haruka and Michiru, but he just felt as if that didn't matter right now. All he cared about was that he had his tenshi with him. And as long as he did, everything would be alright, no matter what would happen or what came their way. He was in this nice new world, his fighting was over, and he had the most beautiful girlfriend he could ever ask for. Things would finally be alright.  
  
Suddenly, Ami's communicator went off *loudly*, and it's annoying beeping sound distracted Trunks from what he was doing, giving Ami enough time to grab it and answer it.  
  
"Mercury here." She said, while Trunks looked over her shoulder at the tiny screen. There was only static on it, but the panicking voice of Hotaru could be heard on the line through the fuzzy screen clearly.  
  
"You guys have got to get down the high school quick!! Something's attacking the kids and I can't fight it off!!" She cried out fearfully in what sounded like a weak and tired voice, panting heavily as though she'd just ran ten miles.  
  
"We'll get there, don't worry!" Trunks said hotly, already wanting to kill whatever it was that was hurting the girl on the other end of the line, as well as the students.   
  
"Saturn, what is it? Can you give me a description?" Ami asked, right before the line went dead.  
  
"Ami, where's the school?" Trunks asked quickly, already picking her up so that she wouldn't need to waste her energy with the flight. She'd need it for whatever fight there was ahead of them.  
  
"Just head straight South, you should see it within two minutes of the flight." She said quickly as they both took off into the air.  
  
They had to get there to help her quickly, that was for certain. Whatever it was that was attacking Hotaru must be strong, considering that she was one of the strongest senshi and was having trouble even defending herself from it! The very last thing Trunks and Ami wanted was for another monster to fight, but if they had to do it then they would do it.  
  
Trunks decided to himself that he would die before ever letting another thing of some sort come in and destroy everything that was so peaceful. He would *not* let this thing hurt his new friends!  
  
*****************************************************  
  
"I'm telling you, Jupiter, she was showing off her body to him! I over heard Usagi laughing about it! That's the only reason why they're even together!" Venus stated to her friend hotly, still angry with Ami for stealing a guy she really liked by acting like a tramp.  
  
"I don't know about this, Venus. Maybe you should just let it go already. I mean Trunks really doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would chase after a girl because of her looks." She replied calmly, ignoring the little comment that her friend said about "What looks?" before continuing on. "And besides, they *are* together now, and there isn't much you can do about that."  
  
"Well, maybe if you--"  
  
"Whatever it is, I'm not helping you with it, and if you try to do something to ruin that relationship I swear I'll let them know about it." Jupiter threatened in a light tone of voice, still trying to act as a friend while getting the ridiculous ideas the blonde had in her head, out.  
  
The brunet simply felt too bad with the way she treated her friend, and wanted to make up for it in any way she could. If Ami and Trunks were together than it was their good luck and not hers *or* Minako's. And she wasn't about to mess with that.  
  
Venus crossed her arms and sent her a disapproving glare. "You're no help at all, y'know that?" She accused.  
  
Jupiter simply shrugged her shoulders. "You'll thank me when you get married to someone *other* than Trunks." She said with a smirk.  
  
Just as Venus was about to shoot back an angered remark, both communicators that the girls carried around with them went off, *loudly*.  
  
Jupiter was the first to pick it up. "What's up, guys?" She asked casually. It was Usagi, Darien and Rei on the other line. "You guys have got to meet us down at the high school quick! Whatever it was that set off Rei's senses yesterday is attacking and Saturn can't deal with it alone."   
  
'Wow, Saturn's having trouble with it?' Jupiter thought in amazement. "We'll be right there." She said quickly before turning the thing off as she and Venus jumped into the sky and headed off.  
  
*************************************************************  
  
"Trunks look!" Mercury cried out, pointing to the ground where Uranus and Neptune were, kneeling beside an exhausted, panting and bruised looking Saturn. Trunks' eyes widened at the sight, and he landed quickly before placing Ami on her feet so they could run over. It was so strange. She looked so small and frail, but was really supposed to be one of their strongest fighters, and yet he couldn't even sense what it was that wiped her out so much.  
  
Uranus glared at him as he quickly approached, but didn't say anything. Whatever this thing was, it was strong, and a serious threat if it could do this much damage to Hotaru without even breaking a sweat, so she would most likely need his help, despite how much that idea bothered her.  
  
"Hotaru, are you alright?" Trunks asked the young girl, his voice full of worry.  
  
"Don't use her real name you fool!" Uranus immediately spat, willing to take her anger out on anything at this point.   
  
Trunks just ignored the scolding as he kneeled in down in front of her and sensed her power level. He actually gasped at how low it was, so low that she was even having trouble staying in her sailor form. Whatever this thing was it almost completely drained her. Mercury whipped out her computer and tried to do a scan on her, checking to see if the monster had left any traces of itself on her so she could try and find a weakness. Unfortunately she found none.  
  
"I'm not getting anything on this." She said, quickly putting away the small computer. "Saturn, can you tell us what it was that attacked you?" She asked quickly.  
  
The young girl continued to gasp for air as she answered. "I...Don't know....It was...really strong...and I couldn't....even get a good...shot at it." She then swallowed, still trying to catch her breath and fighting to stay in her uniform.   
  
Trunks was quick to notice that the scythe she fought with was shattered and in pieces in another corner of the school park, and she had several deep scratches up and down her arms, and the Sailor uniform she wore was ripped and tattered as well, with half the skirt missing. 'What did this?' He though in shock. The very last thing he wanted was for another creature to come along and destroy a whole world out from under him, but if that's what it was then he would fight it and kill it before letting this world share the same fate as his own.   
  
Looking over at his Tenshi as she spoke to the younger girl, he knew that as long as he had her then he had every reason to die for this world. He didn't want her to see the things that he had to see, or anyone else for that matter.  
  
"It's still here." Saturn choked out weakly, finally losing consciousness and changing back into her regular clothes as she collapsed backwards into Neptune's worried arms. Trunks quickly looked away from her body as she changed back out of respect, but then what she said had finally hit him.  
  
"What!?" Trunks shouted in shock, even though she could no longer hear, immediately getting to his feet and into a fighting position, frantically looking around and trying to sense where the thing was. But he couldn't sense anything at all! What was this thing?!  
  
"Hey guys! What's going on!?" Eternal Moon shouted as she came in for a land, Tuxedo Mask landing right beside her. Jupiter and Venus also chose that time to also run in, and they all couldn't help but gasp at the sight that Hotaru was in.  
  
"What happened?" Eternal Moon asked, her voice full of worry.  
  
"Something attacked her." Uranus said in a pissed off tone of voice while quickly bringing out her sword. "And when I get my hands on it, I'll slit its throat!!" She shouted in a rage.  
  
"Um...What do think it is, Trunks?" Venus asked, but whether or not it was to get him to pay attention to her or to actually want the answer to the question, even she didn't know. "Can you sense it anywhere?"  
  
"That's the problem, I can't!" He said, getting frustrated that he couldn't find it. "She said it was still here, so I don't understand why I can't feel its energy."  
  
"Our enemy's have different energy signature's than what you're used to picking up, Trunks." The calm and serene voice of Pluto explained. Everyone whipped their heads at her, not having seen her arrive, and with Chibi-Moon at her side as well. 'When did she get here?' He thought, but quickly shrugged it off as unimportant. As long as they were here to help then he didn't care.  
  
"Then why can't we sense it?" Neptune asked curiously, cradling the young girl as gently as she could.  
  
Pluto sighed before sending Trunks a strange look that he couldn't quite interpret. "Because it also contains the energy signature of Majin Buu. The two signatures cancel each other out, and therefor none of you can sense it." She explained causing a gasp to erupt from the entire group.   
  
Mercury covered her mouth with her hand, unable to believe it, while Uranus sent Trunks an untrusting sneer. That was the monster that came from his world! What was going on?  
  
"WHAT?!?" Trunks burst out, in pure shock and even a little fear. This thing was part of Majin Buu? But how was that even possible?! He's dead! "Th-that's not possible!" He said desperately. Trying to deny what the green haired woman had just said, even though he knew that she was the type who didn't make any mistakes. Ever.  
  
Pluto sadly shook her head. "I'm afraid to say that the creature isn't dead, and that it was merely weakened when it followed you through the portal." She explained in an even tone of voice. How she could stay so calm at a time like this was beyond him!  
  
"Then this is all *your* fault!" Uranus shouted angrily, pointing an accusing finger at Trunks as she did.  
  
"It is *not* his fault!" Mercury defended. "He didn't do anything wrong! It isn't his fault that, that thing followed us!" She shouted, trying to make the stubborn blonde lay off for once. She knew that she was only worried about Hotaru, but she couldn't blame him! He didn't attack her!  
  
"Stay out of this!" Uranus shouted in a rage, before turning her murderous eyes onto Trunks. Accusing him of nearly killing the young girl with them and actually making him feel guilty. Everyone else just stood aside, not able to say anything due to the shock. If this thing was strong enough to destroy Trunks' world, then what chance did they have against it?  
  
Just before Uranus could start ranting again, Mars cut her off. "You said that it was weakened, right Pluto? Is it still weak enough for us to destroy?" She asked quietly, herself along with everyone else praying that it was.  
  
The time guardian nodded her head, and Chibi-Moon took a step closer to her, knowing what they had to do in order to get the energy needed to kill it. She felt so ashamed right now, especially when she looked up at Trunks' guilt ridden face. Because Mercury was right, it wasn't his fault. It was no ones fault that this had to happen. It just....had to happen.  
  
Eternal Moon decided to speak up. "But I thought that Chaos was supposed to be the last enemy we would ever fight." She said, shakily. Wondering how Pluto could've been so wrong about something so important while Tuxedo Mask placed a comforting arm around her shoulder.  
  
"Chaos *will* be the last enemy you defeat." She said, continuing at all the confused looks she received. "Chaos wasn't destroyed that last time you all fought against it, it was merely weakened, and went into hiding to gather energy, and not taking any physical form that we could see or fight against. When the small amount of Majin Buu's energy followed Trunks and Ami through the portal, Chaos sensed it and locked in on it, knowing that it's power could help it. The two merged together to become one physical being." She explained, watching as everyone's facial expressions said that they were starting to understand.   
  
"It's still weak from the merge, but also very strong from the power of both creatures. It must be destroyed today while we still have enough power to kill it. No more time must be wasted or else it will regain it's strength, and our world will suffer the same fate as the one Trunks came from." She finished, griping her time staff tighter while waiting to be attacked at any moment by the creature that was still nearby. Just because she had seen a mere glimpse of the future, didn't mean she would walk into this completely unafraid.  
  
"Where is it now?" Trunks asked, wanting to be the first to get at it and get his revenge on it while he could.  
  
No sooner did those words leave his lips, did the tall, skinny and almost pitch black looking form of a different looking Majin Buu, shoot out of the bushes and soar in Mercury's direction, quickly grabbing her by the throat as it backed her up into the wall of the school building at such a high speed, that no one knew what had hit them at first.  
  
Trunks whipped his head to the side, and to his horror, saw that monster hissing and sucking the energy out of his tenshi with his claws and mouth. "Let her go!" He screamed, bringing out his sword as he sped off to tear the thing away from her.  
  
Unfortunately for him, the black Majin Chaos monster sensed him coming and jumped out of the way just as he was about to bring his sword down, only managing to stop himself and the sword as it hung mere centimetres from Ami's shocked face.  
  
Trunks' eyes widened with what he almost did, and he quickly sheathed his sword back up. "Tenshi, are you alright?! I didn't hurt you did I?" He asked quickly, his voice filled with concern as he took her into his arms for a relieved hug before looking her over.   
  
She didn't say anything in her weakened state, but simply shook her head no for him. "Majin Buu can absorb energy a lot faster now." She panted out, telling him what she just learned through first hand experience. That thing had her in its claws for barely seven full seconds, and she was already at half her original strength! If it weren't for the training that Trunks provided her with then she was sure that she would have passed out!  
  
"Oh no." Trunks whispered in shock. This was going to be a lot harder than what Pluto had made it out to be.  
  
"WORLD SHAKING!!" Uranus cried out while launching her attack at the demon looking monster. It simply chuckled in amusement at the ball of energy heading its way before letting himself get hit by it.  
  
A loud explosion followed by the rise of dust and smoke could be seen, but for the moment everyone remained quiet. Was it dead? It couldn't be with just that one attack! Their thoughts were all confirmed when they all heard that evil chuckle it gave off as the smoke cleared and he reappeared, standing straight up with an ugly smirk on its face.  
  
"Kami-sama" Mars whispered, unable to believe what she had just seen. That thing didn't even bother to get out of the way! What on earth were they going to do?!  
  
The black Majin Buu chuckled again before whipping its head at where Mercury stood next to Trunks. "I remember you." He said in a deep and not so childish voice, causing Ami to gasp in shock and Trunks to snarl at it for scaring her. "You won't trick me again." He said, taking a step forward.   
  
"Come any closer and I'll cut your head off!" Trunks shouted, bringing his sword back out and holding onto it threateningly.  
  
The monster simply chuckled at him. "Very well then, I'll just finish what I started in your world!" He barked back, laughing as if it were the funniest thing he'd ever heard and causing Trunks' breath to hitch in fear. 'No.'   
  
"Then I'll complete my mission and travel to other planets to do the same." He chuckled, the sound sending the time traveller over the edge as he charged the heartless monster with every intention of seeing his sword through his chest.  
  
Majin Buu simply jumped into the air before surrounding himself with a dark lightning field just as Trunks reached him. The energy not only field stopped him, but also drained some of his own energy before sending him crashing back to the ground, smashing some of the surrounding pavement as he landed.  
  
Mercury immediately ran over to his side, her heart slamming at the sight as he tried to stand. "Trunks, are you alright?!" She asked, her voice filled with fear and concern.  
  
"I'm fine," He panted out. "But now I can't get to it." He admitted, gritting his teeth in annoyance for that fact. He knew exactly what the monster was doing, and it scared him. "He's gathering his energy now. He's going to try and destroy the planet!"  
  
Eternal Moon gasped in fear as she as well as everyone else turned their heads up at the monster in the air. She, Trunks and Mercury were the only ones who could fly, so they were the only ones who could get to it. But mercury couldn't do it and Trunks couldn't break through it's field, so that left her.  
  
Just then the monster started to scream as if in pain, when it was in fact still getting stronger by the second. The world around then started shake and the wind ripped through the trees and tore at their leaves and blossoms as storm clouds appeared. He really was going to do it!  
  
"We'll have to use the sailor planet attack!" Pluto shouted above the wind, getting everyone's attention. "Someone has to fly up there and store the energy we can collect until there is enough to kill it!"  
  
"I'll go then!" Eternal Moon shouted immediately to volunteer. Both Pluto and Chibi-Moon's hearts clenched, knowing that she wasn't the one to go. "It has to be Trunks!" She cried back.  
  
"But I can use my crystal!" She shouted in surprise, keeping her arms by her head to prevent her hair from getting in her face. She wasn't the only one to be surprised at what Pluto had just said. Sailor Moon was *always* the one who was in the battle front fighting against the enemy while they all provided the energy for the crystal! What was going on?!  
  
"It can't be you! It has to be Trunks!" She cried out.  
  
Personally Trunks had, had enough of this. If she was supposed to do it then why send him? "What's going on?!" He demanded of the time guardian.  
  
She pointed up. "His energy field is emitting a poisonous energy that could kill her if she stays up there too long to gather our power! You however, will have a better chance to survive long enough for us to gather it and give to you to attack him with!" She explained. "He'll also send out attacks that she won't be strong enough to defend herself against! It has to be you!"  
  
Trunks didn't really think about anything at that point as he just nodded his head and took off into the air, getting ready to do whatever he had to do to help them kill this thing. If he could survive being near it long enough to attack it and kill it then he would do it. He owed these people for saving his life so now he'd return the favour.  
  
"Trunks wait!!" Mercury cried out in a panic as she soared after him. He stopped dead in the air, wondering what she was doing following him. "I don't want you to go!" She cried out oncec she'd made it to him.  
  
He was more than a little taken back by *that* statement! "But Ami, I have to go!" He said in shock, but was even more shocking were the tears that started to build in her eyes. He made her worried for him and he felt terrible for it.  
  
"I-I just have this really bad feeling and I don't want you to go!" She cried out, having trouble containing her tears and mentally cursing herself for being so weak.  
  
He simply blinked, finally understanding what she meant as he held her close. "Ami, I'll be fine. You heard what Pluto said." He whispered in her ear when they were close enough to hear each other properly through the wind. "I'll be back. I promise." He said, truly believing that and actually putting some of Ami's fears to rest. They had just gotten together. It would take a very cruel God to part them now after all.  
  
Realising that his time was running out, Trunks reached into his Capsule Corp jean jacket pocket before pulling out the picture he'd taken with him from his own world. This was a family photo, the only one he had that had everyone in it. Himself as a baby, his father, Goku because he had yet to catch the heart disease, Gohan as a child, and even Piccolo.  
  
He slowly handed it to her. "Keep this until I get back?" He asked, not wanting to risk that it got torn up or ruined while he was up there.  
  
She sniffled a bit before nodding her head. Trunks then leaned in and quickly kissed her before sending her back down to the ground.  
  
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"Pluto, you said there was a chance." Chibi-Moon whispered to the Time Guardian hopefully, instantly getting her attention. "You said he could survive! Maybe we won't have to--"  
  
"I was lying, aino-chan." Pluto said, with a hint of guilt and sadness in her voice. "It's true if your mother were to go up there then she would die, but his chances of surviving are no better. We still have to do what we came to do because he will be killed no matter what course of action we take this day." She whispered with regret, causing the pink haired girls face to fall.   
  
For a split second she thought she found a way to save him, but she was wrong. And right now he was up there promising Ami that he would return when he wouldn't. Kami she felt guilty! Oh how she wanted to crawl under a rock and die!   
  
"Alright everyone! Get into a circle!" Pluto yelled once she saw that Trunks was in place and waiting to receive the energy he would need.  
  
He didn't notice it the last time he was up here, but he was actually starting to feel a little nauseated at being so close to Majin Buu. He couldn't help but wonder how fast this poison would have affected Usagi if he'd let her come up, not to mention the strong electric beams he had to dodge. Majin Buu was more than happy to send plenty of those in his direction, and he had to be careful to prevent himself from getting in front of the girls where some of those same beams could hit them.  
  
Neptune quickly picked up the unconscious Hotaru before jumping in the direction of the school, and gently placing her down in a corner where she wouldn't be seen before jumping back and getting into the circle, holding Uranus' hand tightly.  
  
Everyone was quick to call upon the powers of their respectful planets, even Pluto and Chibi-Moon, they too had to donate some of their energy before they could blast Trunks and make a run back to the Time Gates.  
  
It wasn't long before everyone in the circle started to glow, and even through the shaking of the earth or the ear splitting sound of the electrical storm they were in the middle of, they could still manage to see where Trunks was and send him all the power they could spare.  
  
Mercury looked up at him with worry in her eyes, still unable to shake that horrible she had in the pit of her stomach. Weren't the Sailor Scouts always taught to follow their gut instincts?  
  
Trunks was still near that new Majin Buu, sneering at him in a look that would of made his father proud, despite how weak he was getting. The thing just floated in it's little protective shield, laughing his head off while gathering its energy. The ugly bastard was really starting to get on his nerves with that laugh!  
  
He didn't have much time to think about that though as it became a chore to simply keep himself in the air and not fall to the ground far below him. Whatever it was that Majin Buu was sending at him it was a lot stronger than what Pluto had made it out to be.  
  
Finally feeling the energy being given to him run through his own body and mix in with his Ki, he immediately turned it into a ball in his palm and raised his hands to get ready launch at him.  
  
He only needed a little more! But he was so tired! Completely exhausted as sweat dripped down his face. What was happening to him? If this took any longer than he was sure he would pass out!  
  
"It's time." Pluto whispered, squeezing Chibi-Moons hand as the signal for her to back out of the circle with her.  
  
"What are you guys doing?!" Jupiter shouted at them over the noise, as they all quickly closed the space that was created. Mercury looked over at them through the wind oddly. Why did they break the circle? Eternal Moon didn't even notice, because she was too busy concentrating the energy of her Crystal into Trunks, and she was just about to go on empty.  
  
Everyone else noticed, but couldn't really get anything out to her as Chibi-Moon hopped on Pluto's back before she jumped into the air. Mercury gasped in pure shock at the sight. She didn't know that Pluto could fly. Why would she hide something like that?  
  
Both Pluto and Chibi-Moon appeared directly in the way of Trunks' soon to be target, and he was more than a little shocked when the pink haired girl brought out her own small wings she'd received from Pegasus and flew right behind him. What was going on?!? It was one thing for Pluto to be up here, but Chibi-Usa was just a little girl and this was dangerous! Not to mention the time and energy he was wasting and how much weaker he was getting. "What are you doing?!" He demanded weakly.  
  
Pluto simply pointed her Time Staff at his chest, and he gasped in shock. Mercury cried out, knowing that she was going to attack him but not being able to do a thing about it.  
  
"Forgive me" Was all the Time keeper said through her clenched teeth before blasting him with all the power she could muster.  
  
Trunks screamed out as a scorching pain unlike any he'd ever felt before, shot through his chest and spread throughout his entire body. Making him feel as though he were on fire as he fought to not drop the energy in his raised hands and blast her back for what she was doing.  
  
Mercury was in complete fear as her body froze at the sight, unable to believe what she was seeing. She was killing him!! "Nooooooo!!!!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs while everyone simply looked up, completely stunned, even Uranus.  
  
Finally stopping with her attack, Trunks went almost limp in the air as his head sagged and blood dripped from his mouth, not really knowing what Pluto had just done to him, but also feeling as if he were about to pass out or die any second. His arms also dropped, but he was careful to not let the attack he had in his hands fall. He still had to use it, and he could feel that now there was enough power in it to kill that monster.  
  
The guardian of the time gates motioned with her hand for Chibi-Moon to come over and she did, slowly, with tears streaking down her face as she passed the dying warrior. "M'sorry." she whispered into his ear, trying not to choke on a sob as she took Pluto's hand and disappeared into the dark portal that Setsuna had created.  
  
While Trunks' face was turned down, he got a good look at the blood and sweat dripping from his mouth and face, but he could still hear Majin Buu's laughing clearly and even see the blurry form of his Tenshi below. He narrowed his eyes. He *was not* about to let this thing kill them *or* her!   
  
Majin Buu continued to laugh, needing to hold his sides with how funny it was. The monster thought it hilarious how he'd been betrayed by the ones who were supposed to be helping him fight.  
  
With the last of the strength in his body, Trunks raised his hands again before launching the energy blast at it, and watching with an extreme amount of satisfaction as the glowing beam smashed through the shield that surrounded him and passed straight through his chest.  
  
The senshi below him could practically *feel* the energy he was steeling with his black energy shield being returned to the planet as he screamed out in pain and his body disintegrated before their very eyes. Trunks clenched his teeth, playing out a mantra in his head to not give up and let this thing live.  
  
The final explosion was so immense, bright and powerful, that people from all across the city had to shield their eyes from it, and the senshi were all knocked down from the shockwave while Trunks went flying into the trees before landing with a painful crash in a clearing of the park where no one could see him.  
  
The girls all slowly got to their feet, still in the shock of what had just happened. The storm had disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, and Majin Buu was nowhere in sight. Mercury looked around, frantically trying to spot where Trunks had gone, and she couldn't help the pounding of her heart when he was nowhere in sight.  
  
"W-where is he?" She asked fearfully. Everyone else simply looked around, unable to spot where he was and soon became worried. Even Haruka and Michiru. Where was he? What had Setsuna done? And where did she and Chibi-Usa go?   
  
Neptune quickly went back to check up on Hotaru, and was happy to see that she appeared to be fine before picking her up and running back to the others.  
  
"You should take her home, Koi." Uranus said when she made it over. "She needs her rest, and when we find Trunks I'll meet you there." She said, kissing her cheek before turning back to the others. Neptune simply nodded her head before jumping into the air and running for home. She'd need to dress the small wounds that her adoptive daughter had before putting her to bed.  
  
"You're going to help us look for him?" Tuxedo Mask asked, raising an eyebrow at her.   
  
"Do you want my help or not?" She demanded angrily. "Now lets go already, I want to get home to Hotaru and Michiru." She said before walking ahead of everyone into the wooded area of the park.  
  
Mercury didn't care why the blonde suddenly wanted to help, she just wanted to find Trunks and make sure that he was alright. Pluto had blasted him when he was up there fighting stay alive! Why had she done that!? She just ran after her, hoping to find him in one piece.  
  
**********************************************************  
  
Trunks lay on his stomach on the hard ground in a clearing surrounded by many thick trees, fighting and failing to stay conscious as he coughed up more blood and shivered at how cold he felt. It was a hot day out earlier, so he guessed that it must've been the poisonous energy that made him sick be the thing that was making him so cold.  
  
He felt so weak and so dizzy. The world around him spun and he didn't even have the strength to turn himself over into a more comfortable position. His sword was still on his back for some odd reason, even though he knew that he was no longer a super Saiyan and that it should have changed back into a dagger pendant to go around his neck, and the added weight only served to make his back ache all the more.   
  
His chest hurt like hell where Pluto had blasted him too, and his breaths were becoming shorter and lighter. Sensing his own Ki, he knew that he was dying.  
  
He was cold, hurt, dying and alone while face down on the ground in the park. Why? Why did she attack him? He knew that he was getting weak up there, but his chances for surviving would have been better if she hadn't done that. He trusted her, and she was leaving him to die.   
  
He hated Pluto so much right now. Why did she send Ami to save him just to kill him? She made him think that he was finally in a world where he could live his life, fall in love, all without having to fight for it all. And then she took it from him without reason. What was worse, that little girl he liked had helped her do it to. Although by the tears in her eyes and the sound of her voice, he could tell that she felt regret for it, and wondered if she was being forced to act as an accomplice.  
  
If he had to die then he would have preferred it to of happened in Majin Buu's prison. Where he would have still been in his own world and wouldn't of met Ami. If he had never known her then he could never miss her, and she wouldn't feel the pain of his death and broken promise either.   
  
'Sorry I had to break my promise Tenshi.' He thought to himself sadly, closing in his eyes against the bright and stabbing sun while wishing that he could just see her one more time.  
  
"Trunks!!"  
  
'Ami?'  
  
He could hear the running footsteps of the many girls close in on him with his saiyan hearing, but when he opened his eyes to get a look at his angel he could barely see her approach. Everything was so blurry. And he felt so tired, he wanted to go to sleep so badly.   
  
Mercury was immediately at his side when she made it over to him, and she wasted no time in turning his limp form onto his back and cradling his head. When he opened his eyes to look up at her, she couldn't help the shaking breath of relief she let out, thankful that he was still conscious, but could tell that he was still badly injured. He looked on the verge of death actually.  
  
"Sailor Moon can you heal him?" She asked quickly, eyes on her hopefully.  
  
She nodded her head before getting down on her knees and pulling the now dull looking crystal out of her broach. Unfortunately when she tried to heal him with it, nothing happened.  
  
They both blinked in confusion. "What's wrong?" Ami demanded in near panic.  
  
"It's....not working." She said in complete shock. Why would it not work? Did she use too much energy in the fight? Was it refusing to give her the energy or was it something to do with that strange black field that Majin Buu gave off? What was happening?   
  
Mercury's heart sank when she heard those words. It wasn't working? But that was impossible!!   
  
"Does he have another one of those beans on him?" Venus asked, remembering the tiny bean that healed Ami on her first day back. Mercury's heart immediately became caught in her throat as tears filled her eyes. "N-no, he doesn't." She whispered with a slow shake of her head. He'd given it to her. He wasted it on her!  
  
Trunks saw the tears falling down her face with his blurred vision, and slowly managed to reach his hand up to cup her face, feeling everything go black as he did. "D-don't cry, tenshi........"  
  
That was all he could get out before his eyes went blank as his arm dropped back down to the floor lifelessly. Not even getting a chance to tell her that he loved her before he died. His body then started to glow a bit as his remaining energy left his body and scattered. He then started to disappear, almost in the same way that Nephlite did when he died.  
  
Mercury just held him closer, clutching at him as if trying to prevent the energy from leaving his body and taking him away. This wasn't happening! This wasn't happening! "No, no, no, no, no!! You're not dead, you're not dead!!" She cried out, tears flowing down her face as he disappeared into nothingness.  
  
Everyone had tears in their eyes as they watched. How could this happen? Everything was fine that morning! Mars felt tears of shame running down her face. She was the one who brought up the monster that they all went out to search for.  
  
Sailor moon cried because she couldn't heal him, and held Tuxedo Mask closer for comfort while he tightened his arms around her, unable to fully believe that he just watched his friend die. She felt so useless. Why couldn't she heal him!?   
  
Venus and Jupiter were also in tears. This was their friend. He should be alive and with them right now to celebrate the monsters death. But he was gone now. Venus felt her heart rip in half at the thought. 'He's gone.'  
  
Uranus had shed a few tears as well. Feeling so much pain for him as well as Mercury for what was happening, and silently praying that her Koi would never have to suffer like this. Ever. It simply wasn't fair. "I'm sorry." She whispered as his body vanished into thin air.  
  
The sword was all that was left, and when Mercury opened her eyes just to find him gone and the sword in his place where she was holding him, she only cried harder as she gripped it tighter. As if it were him she was holding onto.  
  
"C-come back." Was all she could choke out before fainting dead away, the sword still in her arms and his picture in her pocket. That's all that was left of him now. Just a memory.  
  
To Be Continued................................  
  
A.N: ok, sorry that i killed him, but it's kinda hard to change that when you write it in, in chapter four that it's gonna happen   
  
Also, I started this back up at page six and a half today, just to finish at page fourteen!!! o.0 Do you all know how tired I am!?!?!?!?! ok seriously then before i start the next chapter i'll request fifteen reviews again, because i'd like to know what you all think of my cruelty ^_^   
  
bye now *please don't flame me! * (cowers away from flamers) 


	11. This Is Why We Did It

Disclaimer: I do NOT own these characters, Or the song with you By Jessica Simpson, OR the song Somewhere I belong: By Linkin Park. This is a little project that I started for the hell of it, and to practice my skills as a writer, please do not sue me, you won't get very much aside from a ripped up old coat, and maybe my pet fish. ^^ and now onto the story!  
  
Chapter Ten: This Is Why We Did It  
  
A dark air surrounded the girls in the room they were all in, threatening to choke them with the intensity of it. They were all sitting around one of Rei's square tables at the Temple in her room silently, still trying to figure out whether or not what just happened a mere two hours ago was really real. Trunks was dead?  
  
Trunks was dead.  
  
Luna and Artemis were out on a walk together early that day when it had happened, so they weren't around for the fight, but once they felt the power being used, their first stop was the Templ to find the girls, just to see them all in tears as Darien carried an unconscious Ami in with him. Makoto was bringing in Trunks' sword, but he was nowhere in sight.   
  
When they asked what happened, they couldn't believe their ear when the teary eyed Minako told them. Trunks was Dead, and Pluto and Chibi-Moon had been the ones who killed him.  
  
Haruka had since gone home, to hold her Koi close and check on Hotaru's health. It wasn't often that she would admit to being wrong, but the half alien had just died to save them all, and that was more than worthy for her apology in her opinion. She only wished that it didn't have to end on the sour note that it did.  
  
So now here they all were, sitting around the table, silent tears still running down all their faces, save for Darien who managed to control his eyes quite some time ago, but with the sorrow on his face still evident. Ami was in the next room, in Rei's bed as she tried without too much luck to fight off her nightmares as she slept. Everyone thought that it would be best if she woke up on her own, so there she remained.  
  
Trunks' sword was in the centre of the table, the girls were all having a hard time thinking of what should be done with it. Should they make a shrine for him with it? Or should they give it to Ami? She was his girlfriend, but they weren't even together for all that long and she didn't even know how to use it. Perhaps they would make the shrine, but for now they had to try and make up a reason to how they knew he was dead without giving themselves and their secrets away.  
  
So far all they had was to get Makoto to tell a policeman that she was a witness to the recent monster attack, and that it had killed her friend and his body disappeared in front of her. Not the best excuse they had so far, but right now all other ideas just weren't coming up. So this was all they had to use.  
  
The fact that they had to even think of such excuses caused the tears to flow harder. It simply wasn't fair that he had to die. Usagi was so far taking it the hardest. She felt somewhat responsible for not being able to heal him as she cried and held onto Darien for support. Minako was also in tears, and in some selfish way, she wanted to take the sword home with her as a reminder of the lavender haired man whom held her heart. Whether he wanted it or not, he had it.   
  
Ami was the lucky one in her opinion. She at least had him. But now that was impossible for anyone. Even her. He was just someone who they brought over from another world. No ID, No birth certificate, no previous records of his existence. He was only something that they could look back on and remember as a friend now. That was all.  
  
Ami would be shattered when she woke up  
  
****************************************************   
  
"We're here, Small Lady." Pluto said in that calm serene voice of hers. Chibi-Usa walked up from behind her to get a good look at the dome like builder they were going to, the heart crystal she had in her hands held close to her protectively. "Capsule Corp." She read the giant white words that ran across the building out loud, almost in awe. This place was covering the same amount of space that her crystal palace did! And it was simply huge!  
  
"How do we get in?" She asked, still cradling the glowing crystal that Pluto had taken from Trunks.  
  
The time guardian smiled at her warmly. "We knock of course." She said before walking up to the main house doors. Chibi-Usa just gave her a strange look. Whenever someone wanted to enter the palace they had to go through a security check as well as pass nearly fifty armed guards. All you do to get in here was knock?! 'Strange people.' She thought, quickly running to catch up with the green haired senshi. And just as she said she would do, she knocked on the door, waiting patiently for someone to answer.  
  
When the door finally opened, Chibi-Usa gave out a small gasp with what she saw. It was a chibi looking Trunks! He looked to be about eight or nine years old, and he was wearing what appeared to be a dark blue training outfit.   
  
The little boy eyed them suspiciously. He'd never seen anyone aside from an enemy wear such strange clothes. "Who the hell are you?" He asked rudely, Chibi-Usa nearly choked on her own breath at *that* statement! This kid acted nothing at all like Trunks! How could he be his chibi self?  
  
Pluto simply shrugged off the rude behaviour before crouching down to be at his eye level. "Aino-chan, is your mother home?" She asked, still smiling warmly.  
  
"Huh, mom? Ya she's here. Just a minute." He said before turning his back on them and walking back into the house. The door wasn't shut, so they could plainly hear him yell for his mother.  
  
"MOM!! SOMEONE'S AT THE DOOR FOR YOU!!" He shouted.  
  
Next they heard what sounded like a stampede of wild animals heading straight for them, so when only one small looking woman who appeared to be in her late twenties wearing work clothes covered in oil, answered the door, Chibi-Usa couldn't help but do a face vault. These people were really weird!  
  
The green haired woman looked them over in what looked like confusion, but then she remembered her manners. "Oh! Sorry I thought that you were here to deliver my engine parts." Bulma said, trying to apologise for how she looked and the noise she made coming down the stairs.  
  
"Mom, I forgot to tell you, they called yesterday and said they were going to be a few days late." Chibi-Trunks said while tugging on her sleeve.  
  
Bulma looked up to the ceiling before making a sound of sheer annoyance. She'd been waiting for those parts for practically forever and now she was going to have to wait even longer to get them! Looking back into the direction of her guests, she couldn't help but blush in embarrassment. "Um, why don't the two of you come in?" She offered politely while stepping out of their way to let them in.  
  
"Thank you." Pluto said politely, but before she could start with anything else, Vegeta stormed in.  
  
"Brat, what the hell is taking so long, you were supposed to be in the gravity room with me five minutes ago!" He yelled, not liking having his training being held up for so long.  
  
Trunks stiffened. "Sorry dad, I'm coming." He said, running over to where he stood.  
  
"Actually it would be better if the two of you would stay and hear what I have to say." Pluto said quickly, stopping them before they could leave.  
  
Vegeta cocked an eye at her before turning to his wife. "Onna, who the hell is this?" He demanded, pointing at her. Chibi-Usa sighed, now knowing where Chibi-Trunks got his mouth from.  
  
Bulma shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know actually." She said, but before she could continue, Pluto spoke up again.  
  
"I'm the guardian of the Time Gates, and I'm here to speak to you about your son." She started, causing everyone in the room to suddenly look at Chibi-Trunks, wondering what she was talking about.  
  
************************************************  
  
Ami's eyes flickered open as she awoke, but the light stabbing at her eyes caused her to shut them again quickly before groaning and rolling to her side. She'd just had the most horrible nightmare imaginable, and she didn't even want to think about it again. It scared her so much that she could still feel the tears in the brim of her eyes, even when they were closed. If she told Trunks about it, then maybe he would--"  
  
Her eyes suddenly snapped open, and ignoring the pain in them caused by the light, she looked around the room she was in. It was Rei's. She was in Rei's bedroom. Her eyes quickly filled back up with tears as they poured hotly down her face at the realization. It was no dream. He was actually gone. Trunks really did die.  
  
Ami sobbed at the thought, and even though no one was around to see the tears in her eyes, she still hid her face in her hands. He wasn't supposed to die! They were supposed to be together forever! She loved him and now he was dead! After all of that he was really dead.  
  
She threw the covers off of herself before getting out of the bed and walking towards the door. She wanted to talk to the others, maybe they could somehow bring him back with Usagi's crystal.  
  
Just before she could open the door to the sitting room, She heard all the low and muffled voices from inside.  
  
"Maybe we should just bury the sword. There's not too much else we can do." That was Makoto's voice.  
  
"I thought that we were going to build a small shrine with it." Usagis said.  
  
Ami gasped, covering her mouth so that they wouldn't hear it while more tears flowed down her face and over her hand. They were giving up? They weren't even going to try and get him back!? She slammed open the door before marching right up to the table and grabbing the sword, holding it close and giving everyone a disapproving stare.  
  
They all looked up at her in shock, not hearing her get up and having never seen her look that angry before, even though she had a distinct right to be.  
  
"I won't let you bury it!" She shouted, causing them all to cringe. "H-he's going to come back." She choked out desperately.  
  
Rei's eyes widened at the outburst. "Ami, I'm sorry but he's not coming back." She said softly, trying her absolute best to comfort her friend in obvious denial.  
  
Ami started to frantically shake her head, while inwardly she knew that the priestess was right. Shaking her head, screaming, shouting and crying wasn't going to bring him back, but....it really couldn't end this way. Could it?  
  
"It's your own fault he's gone!" Minako shouted angrily.  
  
Everyone in the room whipped their heads at her, in sheer disbelief for saying something so cruel.  
  
"If he hadn't wasted that last little healing bean on you, then he would be alive right now!" She accused hotly, tears starting to fill her own eyes at the thought. "You didn't even need it because Rei was healing you, and he used it on you anyway! It's all *your* fault!"  
  
Usagi slammed her hands on the table as she rose from her seat. "That's enough Minako!" She shouted in a rage, startling almost everyone in the room. "It wasn't Ami's fault that Trunks died. If it was anyone's fault then it was Pluto's!" She shouted, as much as she hated to admit it. But unfortunately the time guardian would have some serious explaining to do when and if she returned.  
  
Unfortunately that didn't do too much to help out Ami's current state. She could barely even hear her friend sticking up for her as her entire body shook before she turned and ran right out of the Temple with the sword still in her hands, not hearing their cries for her to stop as went into the air, wanting nothing more than to just be alone when she cried.  
  
**************************************************  
  
**"IT SHALL BE DONE!"** The Eternal dragon boomed from Kami's lookout, before disappearing in a bright flash as the dragon balls scattered across the earth once again.  
  
The heart crystal that Chibi-Usa held then started to glow before floating out of her hands and into the centre of the lookout. Suddenly a flash erupted from it as it took a physical form and changed back into Mirai Trunks.  
  
He was laying on his back, but only for a second before he groaned and tiredly sat up, blinking at the light as it attacked his eyes.  
  
Everyone on the lookout gave out a sigh of pure relief when they saw that he was ok. When Pluto explained to Vegeta and his family what had happened to Mirai Trunks' world, as well as to her own, everyone of the Z members was contacted to help find the dragon balls.  
  
When Trunks finally managed to open his eyes, just to get a good look at everyone who surrounded him, he was more than just a little confused. "F-father?" He asked, noting how he was also there.  
  
The proud prince simply smirked. "Welcome back to the land of the living, brat." He said, offering him his hand to help him up.  
  
Trunks looked around, noticing that he was on the lookout, and that his entire family was here too. 'I'm back in the past.' He though, noticing his mother, as well as his chibi self that stood next to her while eyeing him suspiciously. He smiled warmly at them, he was glad to be seeing his mother and father again, even though they weren't really his.  
  
Before he could even ask how he got there, or go over to say hello, he caught sight of Pluto in the corner of his eye, with Chibi-Usa standing behind her for protection.  
  
"You?!" He snarled out before marching over, getting a Ki blast in his hand ready. He didn't care if she was a girl or not. After what she did to him she deserved whatever he decided to do as payback. She didn't even move as he approached.  
  
"Trunks, wait!!" Bulma called out, stopping him in his tracks. He whipped his head at her, but just as he opened his mouth to speak she cut him off. "Let her explain." she asked, getting that pleading look in her eyes that he could never win an argument with.  
  
"Fine, but make it quick." He snarled at her. Chibi-Usa cringed at his tone, and that's when he really noticed her. His eyes widened slightly at how scared of him she looked, and he didn't want to see her that way. "I'm not going to hurt you, Chibi." He said, suddenly taking on a calmer tone of voice with not wanting to scare her. "I just want to know why you did that to me." He explained.  
  
Chibi-Usa then ran out from behind Pluto's tall legs and over to where he stood, quickly hugging him around the waist tightly while crying out her apologies. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! But we had to do it or else my world would have died!!" She cried out, small tears touching the edges of her eyes as she did.  
  
Trunks got down on one knee and held the young girl close, trying to calm her and already feeling to need to forgive the both of them with her tears. "It's alright Chibi, I'm not mad." He whispered. If what had just happened was for the sake of her world then he supposed that he couldn't be angry in that case, but one thing still bothered him. "Why didn't you just tell me?"   
  
"I'll explain that to you." Pluto said, finally finding her voice. Just because she could look like a rock when someone with the powers of a thousand worlds was getting ready to attack her, didn't mean that she was completely without fear. "If you'll just follow me." She said, moving to a secluded part of the lookout where they could talk in private.  
  
Trunks didn't follow her at first, still wondering what she was up to, but then deciding that since he had nothing to lose if he did, got up and headed in her direction. If the rest of the Z fighters bought whatever story she gave, then it must be good. His mother wasn't the easiest person to fool after all.  
  
"Alright, what's this all about." He demanded once they were out of earshot of the others, crossing his arms.  
  
Pluto sighed. "First of all, I suppose I owe you an apology for what happened earlier today." She started, earning a very Vegeta like snort from Trunks. "And secondly, the reason why I had to do what I did, was because if I didn't take your heart crystal, then you would have only died slower, and in a far more painful way."  
  
Trunks' eyes widened. "What do you mean?" He asked curiously.  
  
"The monster you fought against was the product of a merge, but I already explained that to you." She said, and when Trunks nodded his head she continued. "Nearly two years ago, a powerful creature known as Chaos attacked us, and when the Sailor senshi fought against it, they couldn't destroy it. It merely went into hiding, where we wouldn't be able to either see it, or find it."  
  
"So, when Majin Buu followed Ami and me here, they merged and became a physical being?" Trunks asked, starting to understand now. Pluto nodded her head. "So you only needed me to bring him over to your world? So you could fight it?" He asked.  
  
"Yes. If Chaos didn't take a physical form for us to fight against, then it would have only gotten stronger, and by the time the scouts found out about it, it would have been too late to defeat it."  
  
"But why did you attack me?"  
  
Pluto sighed again. "I didn't attack you, it only seemed that way with the pain of having your heart crystal removed. And if I didn't take it, then there would have been no way to wish you back in a world that you didn't pass away in." She explained, thumbing at her time staff somewhat nervously. It wasn't everyday she was forced to explain herself like this. That only happened when she was in Neo Queen Serenity's castle.  
  
Once again, Trunks nodded his head. He already knew what heart crystals were because of what Ami had told him before.   
  
"The point is," Pluto started up again. "Is that if I didn't take your heart crystal, your death would have not only been inevitable anyway, but also prolonged while you suffered an unnecessary amount of pain, lasting up to weeks before finally losing your life. And I simply didn't want you to suffer like that."  
  
Trunks didn't say anything to that. What was there to say? Technically, she'd saved him, but.... he just felt used. Did that mean that if he couldn't bring Majin Buu to their world to lure out Chaos and kill it, she would have left him in his prison? Only one way to find out. "If Chaos was dead, and there was no need to bring Majin Buu to your world, would you have left me to die?" He asked slowly, startling Pluto with the question. "Ami told me that you saw my pain and that she was sent to put a stop to it, but if there was no need for me at all, would you have left me there?" He asked.  
  
Pluto smiled at him warmly, knowing where his train of thought had gone. "Your purpose was not to simply lure a monster from one world to another, or to kill it, *or* to mend the relationship of my king and queen, eventually bringing about the existence of their daughter over there." She said, motioning with her hand the direction that Chibi-Usa was in, playing with Chibi-Trunks and Goten.  
  
Trunks turned to look at them before looking back at her, his eyes filled with a kind of undescribable awe. He didn't realise that he would have that kind of affect on people with just one months worth of time. But then again, isn't that what he set out to do when he jumped into the time machine for the first time. To cause a major change? Pluto simply smiled at him, knowing that she was getting through to him.  
  
"You were meant to do all of those, but even if they weren't needed I still would have sent Princess Mercury to save you, because one way or another, you two would have met, fallen in love, and made each other happy. In this life or the next. So once again, I merely sped things up." She explained, still smiling that calm smile and still using that serene sounding voice that demanded attention.  
  
Trunks blushed lightly, and he couldn't help but forgive her. But still, one more thing bothered him. "Why didn't you just tell me?" He asked, giving out a soft chuckle. "I would have cooperated a lot better with you if you had."  
  
Pluto snickered slightly at the thought, shaking her head. "It wasn't you I was worried about." She explained, watching Trunks raise an eyebrow before continuing. "Princess Serena would risk the planet itself before letting the single soul of another die. She proved that when saving Hotaru, and I couldn't have her interfere, so I tapped into her crystal so she couldn't heal you. And it would have put Ami through a stress that she really didn't need." She explained.  
  
"Oh." Was all Trunks could say at this point. It made sense once he really thought about it. "I guess that means I owe you an apology for trying to blast you earlier." He said, tipping back and forth from his heel to his toes in slight shame.  
  
Pluto waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it in the least." She said, glad that all was now forgiven. Except for one small thing that is. She pulled out Ami's time key.  
  
"Hey, I know what that is!" Trunks said, pointing at it. "I haven't seen Ami wearing that for a long time." He said, wondering why Setsuna had it.  
  
"It will only work one more time, after that it will be completely useless other than a simple neck decoration." She explained.  
  
"What do you mean?" Trunks asked curiously.  
  
Pluto looked at him in the eye, her expression serious. "You have to decide, right now, wether you some to come back with me, or stay here with them." She said pointing back in the direction of the past selves of his family. "Because once you've made your choice, there will be no going back."   
  
Trunks whipped his head at her. "You mean... not even to visit?" He asked, sounding more than a little stunned at having to choose between Ami or his entire family.  
  
She shook her head. "There will be no going back." She explained sadly.  
  
"Can't you just... make another one of those?" He asked hopefully, pointing to the jewelled key in her hands.  
  
Once again, she shook her head. "This is a one of a kind item. I saw you coming before the silver millennium itself was destroyed. That's when I started to work on it. There's no other of it's kind to go through dimensions, only time. I'm sorry, but you do have to choose." She said, already knowing what his choice was, and feeling a large amount of guilt about it. It wasn't a fair choice at all. Not in the least.   
  
Either your love, or your family. Not an easy decision at all.  
  
Trunks thought about what he should do, but the answer came to him rather quickly. He knew that he loved his family, and he knew that he loved Ami, that was the only thing about it that would be hard to deal with. The separation.  
  
"I've made my choice." He said.   
  
To Be Continued...........................  
  
A.N: Sorry, another cliffhanger. The next chapter should be the last one, and i might do an epilogue, but I'm just not sure yet It was supposed to be a side story, but i'll just turn it into an epilogue instead, but only if i get enough reviews  
  
Also, i see that turtle dreamer noticed how i'm a sucker for Trunks angst ^^ i was wondering when someone would figure that out ^^  
  
And i just noticed that i have over a hundred reviews for this story!! YAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!! *does the happy dance* Ok, that's enough of that, but thanks for reading this, and i hope to get more reviews for the next chapter.  
  
Heh, i can't believe how many people i pissed off and made cry with the whole death scene, and it was even one of my worst death scenes ever too!  
  
oh well, bye for now ^^ 


	12. Somewhere I Belong

Disclaimers: I don't own these characters, I just wrote this story for the hell of it, please don't sue me, I'm not stealing it I swear!   
  
_**Chapter Eleven: Somewhere I Belong  
**_  
Bright, sparkling and flashing lights passed their heads and crossed their faces, making it appear as if they were surrounded by the northern lights themselves as they flew through time, heading straight for the Time Gates and watching as the lights grew dimer and dimer with the closer they got to their destination.  
  
Just a little further and they would finally be home. Only with one person short this time. The others would be a little sad when they heard about the loss, but still happy that Trunks was alive and well.   
  
Finally, after so long of flying through time and space itself, they both came to a slow stop through the Time Gates before coming to a graceful land in the misty area surrounding the doors.  
  
Pluto sighed, closing the doors with a flick of her wrist and feeling the power that was in Ami's Time Key go out for good. There was no going back to that world now. It was forever lost to them. She just hoped that Trunks had made the right decision.  
  
Looking to her side, she saw her companion looking at the closed gates with a saddened look in his eyes, and she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. It was a lousy choice to make, and she knew that, but she also knew that Ami and Trunks would go far in their lives together, so hopefully he wouldn't remain unhappy about this new arrangement for long.  
  
"You're going to miss them, aren't you?" She asked, in that soothing tone of voice that many people seemed to enjoy.  
  
He slowly nodded his head at her, his eyes a little big with the shock of it all. It wasn't the easiest thing to take in after all. That you would never be able to see your family again, but he was strong, he'd heal all in due time.  
  
"We should go home now, the others deserve an explanation for my actions, and Ami will be happy to see you." She said, earning a weak smile from the time traveller.  
  
"Ya, I really miss her too." He said, watching as the guardian of the gates opened up another dark portal that led to the Temple.  
  
Just before he could take two steps in its direction though, Pluto placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.  
  
"What is it?" He asked, giving her a small confused look.   
  
Setsuna didn't say anything as she gently took his hand before turning it up and placing the old time key necklace in his palm. He just looked at it curiously. Didn't she say that it was now worthless?  
  
The older woman smiled. "I told Ami that she could keep that when done with it. She's rather fond of it, and I thought that you could give it to her since I'll have my hands full with the girls." she explained.  
  
Trunks smiled at the thought before putting the small item in his jacket pocket. "I'll give it to her, don't worry." He said, before the both of them walked towards the portal again and disappeared into the darkness.

_oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_  
  
Usagi, Darien, Rei, Makoto and all the other members of the group were still at the Temple surrounding Rei's square table, each one still silent. In deep prayer or in thought. Still a little in shock at the days events. Usagi decided that after Ami had taken the sword and ran off, that it would most likely be best if she just had some time alone to think and calm herself. It was quite a thing to take in, having the one you love die in your arms like that.  
  
Hotaru, Haruka and Michiru had dropped by after Hotoru was properly healed to check on Ami's condition, but everyone could tell that Haruka just wanted to apologise to the blue haired girl again. She hid her emotions well, but it was still easy to see the guilt and shame she felt for the distrust she showed to the person who saved her life and the world with it.  
  
After Ami ran away from the Temple in her heart broken state, Minako had been thoroughly scolded by everyone in the room for her cruelty towards her feeling when she chased her out. The blonde really did need to set a limit on herself. Trunks had made it perfectly clear to all that he wasn't interested in anyone but Ami, and she still acted as if he was fair game. They still sympathised for her feelings, but no one went easy on her, and by the end the blonde was in tears of her own.  
  
Then came the awful question. If they couldn't use Trunks' sword, how were they going to properly honour his memory? How do you bury someone with no body to bury, or who wasn't even supposed to exist in this world? It was a horrible thing to have to think about. This was their friend that they couldn't even have a proper goodbye too.  
  
Usagi was about to speak to break the silence of the room and ask what thoughts anyone else had on the subject, but before she could open her mouth a bright flash of white lighting surrounded the room and everyone in it for only a split second, still causing them all to squint and shield their eyes from it as a portal appeared and Setsuna and Trunks stepped through.   
  
Everyone's eyes widened as they both appeared, looking unharmed and well as Setsuna closed the portal behind her before turning to give everyone in the room a serious look.  
  
No one said anything at first. They all just looked at them with mouths hung wide open in disbelief. Ok, this was new. Didn't Trunks die a mere few hours earlier? And what was Setsuna doing here? She was the one who killed him for Kami's sake!  
  
Minako was the first to react, jumping to her feet with a small cry of happiness before running over to where he stood and throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. "I can't believe you're back! I missed you so much!" She cried out.  
  
This threw Trunks off a bit, but she was still a friend, so he hugged her back. "Good to see you too, Minako." He said, looking around the room as the blonde held him tightly, wondering where Ami was.  
  
The others were all giving him strange looks, and he supposed that they were justified for that since he should be dead. And he couldn't help but notice how tightly Minako held onto him, and was forced to lightly pry her off when he started to feel uncomfortable with the attention. She backed off a few steps, looking down and a little guiltily, but said nothing to him.  
  
"Trunks, I don't understand. What happened? Where were you?" Usagi asked, her mouth wide open in shock and disbelief when she finally found her voice. Artemis and Luna went and sat by his side grateful that their friend was back. This would cheer up Ami a great deal!  
  
"Well, Setsuna told me that she'd explain everything to you all because I really wanted to see Ami." He explained, being quick to notice how everyone seemed to turn their heads down at the mention of her name. "Where is she?" He asked, his voice full of concern.  
  
It was Rei who answered him this time. "We were all talking about a shrine of remembrance that we could give to you since we thought that you were dead, but Ami overheard us and got upset. So she ran off and now we don't know where she is." The priestess explained watching Trunks' eyes widen in shock.  
  
His Tenshi ran off? How could he have been so stupid?! Of course she'd be upset! But where did she go? Was she okay? Quickly sensing for her Ki he managed to locate it back at the park. The same one he'd confessed his love to her only the previous day. He breathed a sigh of relief. "I know where she is." He stated, noting the sigh of relief that passed through the group before continuing. "I'll fly out to get her, but we might be gone for a few hours before coming back." He said walking passed Minako and heading for the door.  
  
"Wait!" Minako cried out not wanting him to leave just yet. She wanted her chance with him too! She didn't want him to run back to Ami!  
  
Trunks stopped before he hit the door and turned to look at her oddly. "What's wrong?" He asked, a little annoyed with the delay. He wanted to find and hold his tenshi already, and a delay, no matter how short, was something that he just didn't need right now.  
  
Just as the blonde was about to speak to try and persuade the gorgeous male in front of her (one more time) that she would be a better pick than Ami, Usagi sent her a death glare from behind him where he couldn't see it but where she had an excellent view of the hate filled look, as well as the warning that came with it. A mental _shut the hell up right now_ sort of look. So she kept her mouth shut. Not because it was Usagi that was giving her that look, but because one look around the room showed her that everyone else was giving her that very same glare at well.  
  
She slowly lowered the hand that she was using to reach out to him. "Um... nothing just forget it." She said, feeling a little defeated as he simply shrugged his shoulders and turned to leave again.  
  
"Oh, wait a second!" He suddenly said, turning back in for the last time and going over to where Haruka stood. He quickly reached into his pocket before pulling out a capsule case and opening it up. "I should give this to you now before I forget. "He said getting her attention as he pulled out a red coloured capsule from the ones that were inside and handing it to her.  
  
She looked at it curiously. "What's this?" She asked.  
  
He grinned at her. "Just a peace offering. Ami told me how much you like motor bikes. Just make sure that you don't open it indoors." He warned before turning around one last time and heading out the door, taking flight as soon as he found a clear space to take off in.   
  
Setsuna would explain to her how it worked so he wasn't too worried about that. The case contained a few things that his mother gave him before he left. Like cars, computers, training outfits, a gravity room, and even a beach house. All of which were little goodbye gifts from his family until he could find a way back to visit them.  
  
He would certainly miss them, but right now he still had to find Ami to let her know that he was indeed alive and well. Because if he'd left her, he'd most definitely miss her too. Because he loved her.

_oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo  
_  
Ami sat at her bench, shoulders shaking with the sheathed sword in her hands as she sobbed her eyes out. Tears streaming down her face in a constant flow as her heart continued to pound beneath her chest. It was true. He was dead and gone and no amount of her crying or shouting was going to bring him back. Ever.  
  
But why? Why him and why then? It just wasn't fair! He didn't deserve to die! Not like that! And certainly not by Pluto's hands either!  
  
She sobbed harder at the thought. Setsuna was supposed to be their friend yet she killed one of their own without reason. And then she ran, leaving them all with no explanation for the horrible act she committed.   
  
She felt so helpless right now, so weak and completely unable to do anything about it. Her breathing was deep, her heart was pounding, her face was a mess of tears, and it shouldn't even be that way! She shouldn't be sitting here crying like this! Trunks was supposed to be alive right now! And they were supposed to be enjoying their relationship!  
  
Ami cursed at Chaos for coming back to pick a fight with them. She cursed at Majin Buu for following them when he should've died, she cursed out Pluto's name the most and just cursed at life in general. It wasn't fair at all! He was too good to die like that. He didn't deserve it.  
  
"I-I want him back." She choked out to no one in particular, clutching the sword she held to her chest tighter. Wishing that it was him.  
  
Then, a soft hand on her shoulder, that she would have ignored if not for the soft voice that came with it, stopped her sobbing.  
  
"Don't cry, Tenshi."  
  
Her eyes widened in pure stunned shock as she whipped her head at the owner of the voice, ready to faint when she saw Trunks kneeling behind her and looking as if he was getting ready to shed tears as well.  
  
He had to be a hallucination. There was no way he could be real! He was just something that her mind made up in order to protect her. Yes. She'd just gone insane. But she didn't care about that insignificant little fact as she threw her arms around his neck and let the apparition pick her up before holding her close and letting her sob in his neck. He felt rather warm for a figment of her imagination.  
  
Trunks sniffed in deeply, feeling tears build behind his closed eyes. He didn't expect to find her like this and was feeling pretty low since it was all over him. "I'm so sorry, Tenshi." Was he managed to choke out before she pulled his face down for a rather strong kiss that he happily melted into. His disobedient tail unwinding itself from under his shirt as it wrapped itself around her thin waist.  
  
Ami had never felt so bold in her entire life. But she really didn't care right now since her brain finally managed to tell her that a hallucination couldn't hold her like this or start to cry with her. He was really real and he came back to her! She didn't care how or why it happened, she'd get the answers to that later, but right now she was more concerned with getting him to make that cute little purring sound in his throat that she loved so much.  
  
When they both finally pulled away for the much needed air that they both still unfortunately craved, Ami couldn't help but hide her tear stained face in his chest, not really wanting him to see her looking so terrible. Funny, she never cared about her looks so much in the past. Trunks didn't seem to notice though as he was just content with holding her close and taking in her scent.  
  
"Take it all back." She whispered to him, getting his attention.  
  
He blinked down at her, wondering what she meant. "What?" He asked bluntly, but now knowing what else to say. He was a little afraid that she would be angry with him for disappearing like that, but then again its not like she didn't have a right to be angered with him.  
  
Ami looked back up at him. "Take your sword and your picture, they're yours they should stay with you and not with me because you should be with me." She choked, breaking down into fresh tears again before hugging him close.  
  
Trunks just held her tighter, kissing the top of her head as he picked her up and let her arms wrap around his neck. "I'm sorry Ami." He said again as she cried into his shoulder. "I won't be leaving you ever again, I'm here to stay." He promised, pulling out the key necklace from his pocket and gently placing it around her beautiful neck. She was too caught up in her crying though to even notice the trinket as he felt her give him a shaky nod of her head on his shoulder for a response. She never wanted him to leave again, not ever.  
  
Trunks then bit his lip, not knowing if he should be asking this so soon into their relationship or after something so drastic, but he had to ask anyway.  
  
"Marry me?" He whispered a little uncertainly, his heart pounding with anticipation.  
  
Ami's shaking form suddenly went still at the question, and Trunks mentally whacked himself in the head. He should've known that he shouldn't have asked her that. They only just started dating after all. But he loved her with all his heart, and he wanted to be with her for the rest of his life. He supposed that if she wasn't ready and that if he had to wait a year or two before asking again then he would. She was worth the wait.  
  
But then suddenly, she gave him the shock of a lifetime when she let out a very loud. _"YES I'LL MARRY YOU!!"  
_  
He didn't even notice the fact that his eardrums were burning as he quickly pulled her away to get a good look at her. "You really mean it!?" He asked in a mixture of shock and happiness, watching in joy as she nodded her head before he laughed out loud and twirled her around. So caught up with their laughter that he didn't notice how he was losing his balance, and he ended up falling to the ground with her on top of him as they both started laughing and kissing in the playground.  
  
He was going to get her the biggest diamond ring he could find to put on her finger the first chance he got. He swore that to himself right then and there.

_ oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_  
  
Chibi-Usa walked down the long hallway of the Crystal Palace, heading for the Capsule Corp offices to see her uncle. The palace was actually the home that Trunks had designed as a wedding present for her parents many years ago, and also helped to build using his special gifts. She'd never bothered to actually look at it and admire the artistic abilities that must've gone into the design of the place alone. The palace was always just here to her, so she never really paid any attention to the history behind it, and couldn't help but wonder what sort of palace she would be living in now if he hadn't stayed. Perhaps one that was of a similar design on the moon? She'd never know the answer, and she was really glad that she didn't have to find out.   
  
After Trunks decided to give up his family, a hard and unfair choice to make that she still thought was unfair, Chibi-Usa decided that she wanted to go home and pay her family a visit. She kind of missed them anyway, and she especially wanted to see her uncle T-chan.  
  
After entering the area of the palace that conducted its business, she headed straight for the Capsule Corp rooms and politely knocked on the door that belonged to the owner of the company. She heard a soft invitation to enter on the other side of the door, and she sighed before turning the handle and walking in.  
  
"Uncle T-chan?" She asked, watching as he uncle's head shot up from the desk stacked with paperwork next to his computer and smile at her warmly. Looking at him now, how he'd aged but not quite, she couldn't help but realise why she didn't recognise him back when Pluto first showed her and the others all those images before sending her aunt Ami to go and get him.  
  
He would always look young, but he still aged a noticeable amount. His hair was long and tied back in a loose ponytail with two strands of hair on both sides of his face, he was wearing the usual business suit that came with the job of being the CEO of Capsule Corp and second most powerful man on the planet. And his eyes didn't carry that old pain and hurt that he had back when he was a teenager, instead they were always filled with a happy looking light. Especially since he found out that his wife, the princess of Mercury was pregnant six months ago.  
  
"Hey there, Chibi!" He said, a happy grin on his face with his visitor. "What brings you here? Thought you were still in the past."  
  
"Well, I was, but I came back to visit for a while." She replied, walking over as he pulled out his leather chair so that she could sit on his lap as usual.  
  
He noticed the dull sound in her voice though, as well as the saddened look in her eyes, and he couldn't help but wonder what was wrong. "What's the matter, Chibi?" He asked worriedly.  
  
She looked up at him from where she sat. "I just came back from your world." She said, and Trunks instantly understood as he made a silent oh with his mouth. So that's what was bothering the little princess. To him, he'd made his decision to stay years and years ago. Well, over a thousand years to be exact, but to the pink hair girl on his lap, that only happened mere hours ago.  
  
"Chibi," He started. "You don't have to feel bad about something like that. That was a long time ago, and I'm not mad at you." He finished, knowing where her train of thought was with this. He remembered her tears when he was wished back and her frantic apologies, but evidently she felt the need to apologise to him twice.  
  
"I know," She sighed. "I just feel really bad that I couldn't find another way." She explained.  
  
"Well, don't feel bad at all. Don't forget about that time Ami and I managed to build that new communicator, and I was able to speak with my father and brother for a few minutes." He said, trying to make the little girl feel better. After Capsule Corp finally got on it's feet, he and his Tenshi set to work on something that they could use to talk through time, space, and dimensions. And even if he couldn't talk to his family once in a while he still wouldn't be angry. He was happy where he was.  
  
"Chibi, do you remember that other me from that world we were in?" He asked, continuing at her nodding head. "I wouldn't be able to stay there anyway, specifically because there was already a Trunks over there. He belongs over there and I belong here, and I'm happy here. Don't feel guilty over something that isn't your fault especially since I could never picture myself being anywhere else." He finished lightly.  
  
Chibi-Usa nodded her head at him slowly, and while Trunks could still sense a little bit of guilt in her, he knew perfectly well that, that wasn't something hat would go away with one simple pep talk. She just needed a little more time to realise the truth.  
  
"Did you go see your kasaan yet?" He asked.  
  
"No, not yet." She replied, suddenly missing her mother.  
  
Trunks grinned at her as he stood up with her in his arms. "No problem, I think she and the others are in the garden again." He said, walking over to the large window before opening it up enough and flying out and towards the ground. Chibi-Usa made a small squeal as she held onto him tightly, getting butterflies in her stomach as they got closer to the ground and to the garden. The usual get together spot for all the senshi.  
  
At the sight of the two of them landing, Neo Queen Serenity instantly got to her feet and went over to see her daughter, not even giving Trunks a chance to put her down before she scooped her up in her arms. Crying out how she'd missed her and how she wanted her to stay for a longer visit this time.  
  
Trunks shook his head fondly at the queen. Even after all these years she could still be the same old Usagi.   
  
Then, looking out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of his Tenshi, sitting nearby on a hill and trying to get to her feet. A task that was made a little complicated due to her pregnancy. Trunks was instantly at her side, helping her up and holding her close. "Hey angel," He said softly into her ear. "How's my little guy?" He asked, placing a hand on her larger stomach to feel the strong and healthy Ki growing inside.  
  
"You do know that the odds of us having a girl are better, right?" She asked, playfully poking him in the stomach.  
  
He just chuckled at her as he kissed her cheek and helped her to the palace. No matter how big she would ever get, she was still the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid his eyes on. And she still had her crystal key necklace around her neck, and the wedding ring on her finger made her look all the better.  
  
They'd discussed names before, and his Tenshi decided that she wanted him to name their first child together. He'd never been more happy in his entire life when she gave him that honour, and decided that if they ever did have a boy, he would be named Gohan Vegeta Briefs, and if it was a girl, Bulma Tenshi Briefs.  
  
But either way the name wasn't what was important to him. What was important was that he would train his son or daughter to fight and defend his or herself well in case of a threat, and that he would give his child a better life than he ever had. But he knew that as long as he was here, in this world, where he really belonged, that was always more than possible.  
  
**_The End   
_**  
_**Somewhere I Belong   
**_  
_When this began  
I had nothing to say  
And I'd get lost in the nothingness inside of me  
I was confused  
And I let it all out to find/That I'm  
Not the only person with these things in mind  
Inside of me  
But all the vacancy the words revealed  
Is the only real thing that I've got left to feel  
Nothing to lose  
Just stuck/Hollow and alone  
And the fault is my own  
And the fault is my own  
  
I want to heal  
I want to feel  
What I thought was never real  
I want to let go of the pain I've held so long  
[Erase all the pain 'til it's gone]  
It's gone]  
I want to heal  
I want to feel  
Like I'm close to something real  
I want to find something I've wanted all along  
Somewhere I Belong  
  
And I've got nothing to say  
I can't believe I didn't fall right down on my face  
I was confused  
Looking everywhere, only to find that it's  
Not the way I had imagined it all in my mind  
So what am I  
What do I have but negativity  
'Cause I can't justify the  
Way everyone is looking at me  
Nothing to lose  
Nothing to gain/Hollow and alone  
And the fault is my own  
The fault is my own  
  
I will never know  
Myself until I do this on my own  
And I will never feel  
Anything else until my wounds are healed  
I will never be  
Anything 'til I break away from me  
And I will break away  
I'll find myself today  
  
I want to heal  
I want to feel like I'm  
Somewhere I belong........_  
  
A.N: The song is by Linkin Park, it's very good if you don't have it then you should seriously go out and buy the cd!


	13. A Side Story

**Disclaimers:** I do not own DBZ or Sailor Moon. This story was written for the fun of it and no profits were made  
  
**Warnings:** None that I can think of, major fluff.  
  
**Notes:** This story takes place about six months or so after **_"Somewhere I Belong"_** You should read that story first to understand what's going on. Also, we'll just pretend that for the sake of the Androids and Majin Buu terrorizing Trunks' world, that he never heard of Valentines day nor does he know what it is. I don't know if DBZ people had Valentines day or not, but if so then this was the reason why Trunks never knew about it. Chibi-Usa will not be mentioned because she is back in her time visiting her parents. Also, I'm fully aware that Valentines day passed a while ago, so no one should worry about my sanity. This was just the only thing I could think of for another story on these two after an extremely long writers block concerning them. But at least my writing has improved **: )** So, without anything to say further, the long awaited Side Story.  
  
**P.S:** Sorry, but it kind of sucks.   
  
**_Author: Freewater_**  
  
_**A Side Story: Be My Valentine?**_  
  
It was an unusually warm and sunny day out considering it was February the fourteenth, but Ami wasn't complaining. And neither was Usagi, Darien, Minako, Makoto or Rei.  
  
They all decided to take a walk in the downtown area for some Valentines day shopping. And poor Darien had been duped into carrying their bags. But only because of the occasion, so the girls decided to take full advantage of his generosity and pack him like a mule.  
  
He could do nothing but mumble about his own stupidity beneath the mountain of boxes and bags he was carrying, vowing to never make an offer like that ever again while he struggled with the load. Walking in between the lot of them, with Usagi and Ami on his right, and the rest of the girls walking on his left.   
  
Usagi and Ami were the most considerate with their bags though. They tried to keep their shopping light, and at least carry one of their own bags for him.  
  
"So what are you guys doing for Valentines day?" Usagi asked, turning to Rei, Makoto and Minako.  
  
Rei blushed. "Well, Chad and I are just going to be spending some time alone. And we might head out for a movie later." She replied. It wasn't all that long ago when she finally gave into the shaggy haired young man's pleas to go out with him for a date. And Rei must of have a good time because they continued to see each other since then. And everyone could tell how happy they were together with Rei's constant blushing at the mention of his name.  
  
Makoto smiled broadly at her reply. "Really? That's great! I'm just going out to dinner with a friend." She shrugged before getting a dreamy look in her eyes. "But he does look a lot like my old boyfriend." She said with a loving sigh.  
  
Everyone groaned at that. "Everyone reminds you of your old boyfriend!" Usagi said tiredly, and Darien nodded his head in agreement. But no one could see it behind the bags he was still carrying. He was so far being rather silent in the middle of all this love talk. He preferred to stay out of girl talks anyway.  
  
"What about you, Minako?" Usagi asked. "Anything special planned?"  
  
Minako blinked at her, realizing what had been asked of her, as well as the fact that all eyes were now on her for an answer. "Um... well..." She stuttered out, not too sure of what to say. All she had was a simple heart shaped Valentine card in her backpack addressed to Trunks and a letter pronouncing her undying love for him. But there was no way she could tell them about that! This was so far the only thing she could think of to get his attention fixed on her and she didn't want to let them in on that.  
  
She placed a broad smile on her face, thinking of what she should say. "Oh, nothing really. Artemis is taking Luna out for a night on the town tonight, so I pretty much have the house all to myself." She then blushed, hoping that she wasn't giving too much away with her next statement. "If things go right I should have a new boyfriend by tonight."  
  
Ami smiled at her luck, thinking she had found someone nice to spend the night with. "That's great, Minako. I hope all goes well for you." She said sincerely, not seeing the small wince of guilt the blonde gave off at her words before she turned to Usagi. "What about you? What are you and Darien doing today?" She asked innocently.  
  
The blonde haired girl blushed at that, and if it weren't for the many packages he was carrying, they all would have seen Darien blush as well. "Um... Well, we'll just keep that to ourselves." She replied, a nervous grin on her face.  
  
Everyone sweat dropped at that, and they all decided to themselves that it was best not to pry for anymore information at that point.  
  
Usagi didn't like the air of embarrassment on her though, so she was quick to change the subject. "What about you, Ami?" She asked. "Anything planned with Trunks tonight?" She hoped that would be enough to take all thoughts off of her and Darien for the moment.  
  
Ami's brow furrowed in thought. Trying to figure out how she should answer that. So far Trunks hadn't said anything about Valentines day, so she wasn't too sure that they were doing anything at all. "I'm not too sure actually." She replied a little sadly. "I kind of think he forgot about it."  
  
Everyone abruptly stopped walking when they heard that while Ami went on ahead a few steps before she noticed them and stopped as well. Turning back and wondering what they were doing.  
  
Darien put the packages he was holding onto the ground before stretching out his back. He needed to be able to see her for this. "Are you sure about that?" He asked, deciding to get in on the conversation to defend his friend. "He doesn't seem like the type who would forget about something like this." He stated.  
  
"Ya, that's true." Rei quickly added. "I mean, he's a really serious guy. There's no way he forgot!"  
  
Ami gave them all a light smile of thanks, but just before she could agree with them, she was stopped.   
  
"Hey Tenshi!" Trunks cried out happily after suddenly appearing from the sky, grabbing her around the waist from behind before lifting her onto his shoulder with a big smile. He didn't know why, but he was in an overly good mood today. And he missed Ami and really wanted to see her. Twenty four hours of being away from her was just too much!  
  
Ami blinked down at him while everyone else fought off the urge to do a face vault. Rei was just in the middle of claiming how serious Trunks could be before he came in from the sky and swooped Ami right off her feet. So much for serious.  
  
Minako was just trying not to let her jealously seep into her looks. She didn't want anyone to know that she still had feelings for the lavender haired warrior just yet. And especially not in front of Ami. But the sight of the blue haired girl on his shoulder while he smiled up at her simply made her fume, and she had to try her very best to keep anyone from noticing.  
  
Trunks was quick to catch on to the fact that he'd just interrupted something important, and his face quickly dropped from the happy-go-lucky expression he had to one of confusion. "Uh, what's going on?" He asked, feeling suddenly bad about something.  
  
Ami sighed, getting his attention again. "Trunks, do you know what today is?" She asked, biting her lip in the hopes that he didn't forget and that it was just some stupid mistake on her part.  
  
Trunks blinked up at her, more confused than ever. "Uh, February the fourteenth?" He asked.  
  
His blue haired tenshi looked at him expectantly. "And...?"  
  
He thought for a moment, trying to think about any holidays and things he could have forgotten. It wasn't her birthday, and they weren't dating long enough for it to be their anniversary. So what could it be?  
  
Trunks shrugged, looking back up at her. "I don't know, tenshi." He said.  
  
Usagi was a little stunned with this revelation, as was Minako, who was having trouble believing that Trunks could forget such an important holiday. When she got Trunks to start dating her the first thing she would do was make him memorize all the romantic holidays so she wouldn't be a victim of such a horrible embarrassment.  
  
"You mean," Usagi started. "That you really don't know what today is?" She asked.  
  
Trunks suddenly felt like he was six inches tall, now knowing that he had done something wrong but not knowing what it was. He shook his head to answer her.  
  
"I see." Ami said, sighing a little and feeling hurt but deciding not to hold it against him. She slid down from her spot on his shoulder before landing gracefully on her feet and reaching up to kiss his cheek lightly.  
  
"I'll see you later. Okay?" She said, walking away without waiting for him to answer.  
  
Now Trunks really did feel horrible, his mind scrambling to try and figure out what was so special about this day that would make Ami sad that he had forgotten it. And he couldn't have felt worse when his mind turned up blank.  
  
Usagi and the others walked up to him in shock, and Usagi was the first to speak. "You really don't know what today is?" She asked, her mouth hanging open in shock when he shook his head no. Even he knew that today was February fourteenth! He said it himself!   
  
"How could you not know?!" She demanded of him. "It's Valentines day! Everyone knows what day that's on!" She said, earning a nod of agreement from the rest of the group aside from Darien, who only shook his head at Usagi's yelling in slight disapproval.  
  
Trunks blinked down at her. "Valentines day?" He asked in confusion. "What's Valentines day?"  
  
There was an instant round of sweat drops followed by some violent face vaults at his innocent question, and this only fueled his confusion and irritation further. If Ami was upset over this Valentines day thing then he wanted to know how to fix it!  
  
Darien was the first to get up, shaking his head as if he should have known. "I guess there wasn't a Valentines day back where you came from, huh Trunks?" He asked, smiling as he now understood the problem. He got to his feet and approached him, placing a friendly arm around his shoulder.  
  
Trunks raised a brow at him. "If there was, then I didn't know about it." He stated simply.  
  
It was at those words that everyone understood the problem at hand.  
  
This wasn't about Trunks being insensitive, it was about the differences of their dimensions. He didn't forget Valentines day, he just never heard of it.   
  
Minako smiled brightly, jerking a confident thumb at herself. "Well if you need to know what it is then I should tell you!" She stated excitedly. Who better to teach the lessons of Valentines day then the goddess of love herself?  
  
Trunks blinked at her. "All right then, what is it?" He asked, trying to keep the nervous twitch out of his eyes when she sauntered up to him. Almost seductively before starting to draw invisible circles on his chest and making eyes at him.  
  
Everyone looked at her for doing that in disapproval, but said nothing with the idea that she was only trying to seem romantic to give more effect to her explanation of the holiday. After all, she knew that he and Ami were together, so it wasn't like she was trying anything.  
  
"Valentines day is a day for couples and young romantics. The romantics express their love for the person they like by offering cards, or romantic poetry." She explained, batting her eyes at him. Trunks tried to take a step back at the uncomfortable feeling she was giving him, be she simple took a step forward. "And the couples celebrate the love they already have by spending time together doing romantic things for each other."  
  
That caught Trunks' attention. "Really? Like what?" He asked, quickly gaining an interest.  
  
Minako was practically glowing at this point, stars coming into her eyes at the ideas she was getting in her head. The thoughts of the many romantic and loving things done on Valentines day sent shivers up her spine. And hell, all those things would be so much better if she had Trunks to share them with.  
  
::Minako's Daydream::  
  
"Oh Minako! I don't know what I was thinking when I spent all that time with Ami!" Trunks cried out, kneeling before her on the soft grass of the park with her hands held in his. "How could my eyes have been blind to such a beauty all this time? You're the one for me, please forgive my error!" He begged.  
  
Minako simply glowed as she gazed down at him, giving him a light smile as she nodded her head. How could she say no to him? Especially when he looked so good kneeling there, his sword strapped to his back, giving the added prince effect. "Of course I forgive you. I love you." She said, blushing madly as he got to his feet before taking her into his arms and holding her close.  
  
"I love you too." He said seductively, leaning in for a soft kiss that she gladly complied to.  
  
::End Daydream::  
  
Minako was practically drooling while she was in her own little world, staring at nothing in particular as her face turned a bight red with the mad blush she was getting.  
  
Trunks was officially weirded out with that since it seemed to happen right out of nowhere. So Darien and Usagi finished the explanation for him while Makoto and Rei sweat dropped as they tried to snap Minako out of whatever strange little world she was in.  
  
"So that's what I should do?" He asked, and Darien and Usagi both nodded their heads in approval.  
  
"Ami wouldn't expect too much." The dark haired man said to him, a hand on his chin in thought. "So that simple dinner along with a bouquet of nice flowers should be good enough." He said.  
  
Trunks grinned. "I have something a lot better actually." He said, lifting his Capsule corp jacket before reaching into one of the inside pockets and pulling out a dark velvet ring box.  
  
Usagi gasped in a mixture of shock and joy when he opened it up to show them the gorgeous diamond ring inside. Sparkling with pride in the sunlight and giving off a light impression of the color blue.  
  
"I already asked her to marry me, but I haven't given her a ring yet." He explained, and Usagi squealed in delight, getting the attention of Rei and Makoto who abandoned their attempts to snap Minako out of her trance to go and see what all the fuss was about.  
  
When they saw the gorgeous ring, they all went into a fit of squeals and delightful giggle filled chatter.   
  
"Why did you tell us you proposed?!" Makoto demanded of him while she fought for a better view of the shining jewel in front of her.  
  
He sweat dropped at their odd behavior. "Well, we were both just waiting for the right time to bring it up I guess." He explained a little sheepishly. "But since this holiday was meant for this sort of thing, I guessed it would be better to just show you all now."  
  
Rei was just staring at the thing in awe. "Wow, where did you get it? Or how did you even afford it?! It looks like its worth a lot of money!" She asked, not taking her eyes off the glowing ring.  
  
Trunks looked down at it fondly. "It belonged to my mother." He said, earning everyone's attention on him now instead of the ring he held out for them to see.  
  
"Your mother?" Darien asked. And Trunks nodded his head.  
  
"Ya, she told me that when my father found out she was pregnant with me, he couldn't get her any decent saiyan mate symbols because Vegeta-sei had been dead for so long, and he couldn't buy her a ring because he had no money. So he went into the mountains and made this ring himself out of the gold and diamonds he found there by using his Ki." He explained, everyone listening intently. Finding the story to be so romantic.  
  
"She said that it was the only thing he ever did for her that showed how much he cared for her. Because he was always too proud to come right out and tell her his feelings." He finished. He didn't want to tell them how he got the ring though, so he gracefully left that part out.  
  
When his mother crumbled into the dust she became at his touch, the only thing on her that didn't turn into a fine powder was the ring he now held. And so he kept it as a reminder of his parents.   
  
Usagi sighed dreamily. "Wow, that sounds so perfect!" She sighed, and the others all nodded their heads in agreement.   
  
"Well? What are you waiting for?!" Rei demanded sharply. "Go and get ready for your date tonight!" She all but shouted before shooing him away.  
  
He just grinned at the pushy priestess before taking off into the air. He needed to get everything set up for tonight.  
  
Minako only seemed to snap out of her little love trance when Trunks was no longer around. She blinked at his absence, looking around for him and becoming all the more confused when she found him gone. "Uh, where'd Trunks go?" She asked, looking to the others for her answer.  
  
Usagi gave her an incredulous look. "You completely spaced out for a good five minutes! Darien and I had to finish explaining to Trunks what Valentines day is, and then he left to get his date with Ami ready." She explained, crossing her arms.  
  
Minako was just about ready to panic when she heard that. Trunks getting a date ready with Ami on Valentines day?! She had to stop it!   
  
"I gotta go now, bye!!" She all but shouted before taking off in a run in the other direction, leaving a trail of dust behind her as she went.  
  
The others simply shook their heads at her before heading on their own way. "She's getting weirder and weirder." Usagi mused with a shake of her head.  
  
_ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_  
  
Ami had finally finished her studies down at the public library, and decided after stretching her back out to just head home. The sun was starting to set and it had been a long and tedious day. She had already done enough studying that day to last her a month and was really tired. Bed and rest sounded extremely appealing right about now.  
  
She took the elevator to the sixteenth floor of her apartment building before getting off and heading to her door. Her mother wasn't home, as usual, so she wasn't too worried about coming home so late.  
  
Ami dropped her book bag rather unceremoniously on the floor before heading to her room. Still a little depressed that Trunk had forgotten Valentines day and that they weren't going to be doing anything special for it.  
  
Though she tried to tell herself that it wasn't a big deal. Why did this particular day matter so much anyway? It was only something that the card companies had made up to make extra money, so she shouldn't care at all.  
  
But she did care.  
  
Opening the door to her room with a sigh and flicking on the light switch, she was more than just a little shocked to find a cool breeze meet her face, the window wide open with the curtains blowing around. She rushed over to close her window to keep the cold night air out, wondering how it got to be open to begin with and trying not to become frightened at the thought that an intruder may have been in her apartment.  
  
But then, why would an intruder break in to her apartment just to open her window? That didn't make the least amount of sense. Unless Trunks came over and forgot to close the window before leaving. But why would he do that...  
  
Ami turned to her bed, getting ready to plop herself down on it when she caught sight of the beautiful blue gown, spread out nicely for her to see on her bed.   
  
She gave out a gasp of awe at the very sight of it. It was absolutely breathtaking. Fit for a ballroom dance even.  
  
She looked up and down it, unable to fully take in it's beauty. But then, her eyes finally passed over the matching blue high heel shoes laying on top of it, and holding down an envelope addressed to her.  
  
She picked up the envelope and opened it up, her hands shaking and tears of undeniable happiness streaming down her cheeks when she found it had been sent from Trunks.  
  
**_ –Ami_**  
  
_ Meet me in Tokyo Park at eleven o'clock, wear the dress and shoes.  
I love you.  
  
Trunks_  
  
Ami couldn't help but laugh through her tears when she finished reading, holding the letter close to her chest and vowing to run out and have it framed when she had the chance. To think, she had been worried over nothing. Trunks didn't forget Valentines day at all!  
  
But still, she couldn't help but wonder what they would be doing in the middle of the park. It was a beautiful forest area with cherry blossoms in the middle of blooming early this year. A romantic setting yes, but she would have to find him by sensing his Ki, and no doubt be flying there as well since it was all the way across town.  
  
She took a glance at the clock to check the time. And she just about panicked when she found that it was nine thirty five!   
  
Her eyes widened, and she was quick to throw the letter into her top drawer before picking out her best perfume and heading into the bathroom for a shower. She had to get ready for her date tonight!   
  
_ oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_  
  
Trunks scrambled around his room in the temple in near panic. Everything was all set up for him back at the space he cleared in the park for his date with Ami, so now all he had to do was get ready for it.   
  
The only problem was, he had less than an hour to pick out something suitable to wear and be there before her. And from the looks of his small closet with the few things in it, it appeared as if he didn't have much to wear at all.  
  
All he had was his old Capsule corp clothes, along with the uniform he wore around the temple and a few other casual pieces of clothing. He completely forgot to get something for himself to wear when he went out and bought that dress for Ami. He was stuck.  
  
Doing what sounded to be a mixture of a sigh and groan of complete annoyance, he just pulled out his tank top and jean jacket along with his baggy black pants and orange boots. They were the best he had so they would have to do. Hopefully Ami wouldn't get insulted at his choice of clothing for a romantic dinner. But he knew that she wouldn't hold it against him. She wasn't the type. Much to his advantage.  
  
There was a knock at his door. "Trunks, are you ready yet?" It was Rei, and he could sense Minako with her.  
  
He sighed again, looking himself over in the mirror in complete disappointment. "I guess so." He called back glumly. Having thoughts of bringing his sword just for the regal look it would give him while it was strapped to his back.  
  
The door slid open, and he could hear Rei let out a gasp of shock. "You're not ready! You're not even dressed yet!" She cried out.  
  
He turned to look at her, seeing how she was all dressed up for her date with Chad, even her hair was done up. While Minako was just wearing a simple yellow sun dress with a matching purse. Nothing overdone on her part. And she too looked a little shocked at his choice of clothing.  
  
Rei looked around his room, searching for something. "Where are your clothes for tonight?" She asked, turning her gaze back to him.  
  
"You're looking at them." He replied, raising his arms before letting them fall back to his sides for her to see.  
  
Both pairs of eyes widened, so he explained himself. "I don't have anything else. This is the best I have." He said, hoping she wouldn't berate him for not thinking ahead like he should have.  
  
Minako was actually inwardly delighted. Looking her prince over while trying to keep the wide smile of approval off her face. To her, this only showed how little he must care for Ami if he wasn't even willing to dress up for their date on Valentines day.  
  
Rei's shoulders seemed to sink. "You don't have anything else to wear?" She asked disbelievingly. And he nodded his head.  
  
The raven haired priestess thought for a moment. There was nothing around the temple he could wear that would be considered suitable. And while he and Chad were about the same height, Trunks' muscular body would obviously make anything Chad gave him to wear seem way to small. There wasn't time to ask anyway.  
  
The then snapped her fingers, a thought of how she could help suddenly coming to her. "It's not the best idea in the world, but if you were to wear your sword you'd at least look a little more like an official warrior." She said, and Trunks grinned at that.  
  
"I was actually thinking of doing that, glad to know you think it's a good idea too." He said, moving over to an open drawer before pulling out his sword amulet. Minako frowned at that, she didn't want Rei to help Trunks look good for Ami. If anything he should only be looking good for her!  
  
Trunks didn't want to spend his entire night with Ami as a super saiyan, so when he held the small amulet in the palm of his hand, he only added a little bit of his energy to it in order to make it transform back to its normal size before he flipped it behind him and clipped it to his back.  
  
"Better?" He asked, the grin still in place.   
  
Rei clapped her hands together before smiling brightly at him with a nod of her head, and Minako did the same. Whether or not he was going off to see Ami at the moment she couldn't help but agree that he did look like a living God.  
  
"Well, good luck then Trunks," Rei said, walking up to him as fast and as gracefully as she could in her high heels before giving him a friendly kiss on the cheek. "Chad's waiting for me outside, and I have to go now." She finished heading for the door before giving him a final goodbye wave as she disappeared.  
  
Minako found herself blinking her blue eyes in confusion. Why would she wish him luck? Weren't they already together? Or perhaps they fell on hard times and they were now trying to patch things up?  
  
She tried not to grin at the thought. That would only make her job all the easier. But then again, what were the odds that it would be that simple?  
  
Trunks sighed, looking himself over in the mirror one last time. "Well, I guess I'm off." He said to her, heading for the door.  
  
_"Wait!"_ She cried out, stopping him before he could get away.  
  
He stopped in the doorway, turning his head back at her and wondering what she wanted. If he stayed any longer than he would be late for his date with Ami. "What is it?" He asked.  
  
She bit her bottom lip, trying to find the right words to say and praying that she didn't blow her chance. "I have something important I need to tell you." She said, gripping her purse tightly. For inside was the card and letter she had made and planned on giving to him. Hopefully, he would see things a lot clearer when she told him and then start going out with her.  
  
Trunks blinked at her. Trying to think about whether or not he should stay and listen to whatever it was she had to say and risk being late, or hurt her feelings and blow her off until later.   
  
He tried to suppress his groan, coming to a decision. "Alright, but can you be quick? I want to give Ami her ring." He said, stepping back into the room.  
  
Minako's eyes widened. "R-ring?" She asked shakily. What could he be giving her a ring for?  
  
He smiled at her broadly, pulling the ring box out of his jacket to show her. "Ya, you were a little dazed when I was showing this to the others, but it's Ami's engagement ring. We're getting married!" He stated to her happily, not realizing the pain he was causing to the blonde with that one simple statement.  
  
Minako felt like she had just died on the inside. Feeling a painful lump forming deep in her throat that made it hard for her to swallow as she fought back tears.  
  
They were getting married. And he had the ring in his hands, ready to give to Ami at that very moment. Her heart sank as she suddenly felt very stupid about her little plan to try and break them up. With nothing but a Valentines day card and a letter with her feelings for him jotted down on it to back her up.  
  
How is it that even she, the goddess of love, didn't notice that their love wasn't some trivial fling, but an actual serious love. And it had to be serious if they were getting married, so there was nothing she could do about that now was there?  
  
"What do you think?" Trunks asked, not seeming to notice how upset she became in his carefree state.  
  
She tried her best to keep a straight face to him when she looked him in the eye. "It's beautiful, Trunks." Was all she could manage to say.  
  
Trunks then pocketed the item. "Sorry about that, but what was it that you wanted to say?" He asked, feeling a little sheepish for interrupting her like that.  
  
She sighed, thinking of something to quickly say. She then gently took one of his hands into hers, a few tears shining in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. For a split second, Trunks became worried. But then she spoke. "I just wanted to say how happy I am for you two." She said, forcing a smile on her face in response to his bright grin. "Good luck, I hope she accepts your ring." She said, reaching up a little to kiss his cheek.  
  
Trunks couldn't help but blush through his bright smile, thinking that she was only getting all emotional like this because of her happiness for him. Gohan had once explained to him that females could be like that sometimes, so there was nothing to be worried about.  
  
"Thanks Minako, and I hope everything goes well with you tonight too." He said, pulling her in for a loose hug before letting go to trot out of the room. Leaving her alone there.  
  
Minako could see him flying away from the temple through his window. And as he disappeared into the night sky before her very watery eyes, she brought out her card and letter from her purse before tearing them in half.  
  
_ oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo  
_  
When Ami landed in the spot that she sensed Trunks to be in, it was even a full two seconds after her feet had touched the ground did a pair of hands cover up her eyes, startling her just a little.  
  
"Happy Valentines day." Trunks whispered into her ear, kissing her cheek and earning him a delighted giggle.  
  
Trunks kept her eyes closed beneath his one hand as he used the other to pull out a blindfold from his pocket to gently tie over her eyes. Once again, Ami giggled. "What's going on?" She asked when he was finished with the blindfold, a smile of amusement on her face.  
  
"You'll see." He whispered to her mischievously, coming to the front of her and taking her hands into his while leading her deeper into the park. And while he took her, he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked. All dolled up in her dress that was clinging to her curves perfectly and practically sparkling in the moonlight.   
  
It wasn't a full moon out, so he didn't have to worry about changing into an oozaru if he looked up at it.  
  
"We're almost there." He said to her, continually brushing his thumbs over her hands. And Ami only became all the more excited at the possibilities of where they were going. Making it all the harder to contain the feeling.  
  
When Trunks finally stopped, he took a quick glance at his surroundings to make sure that nothing was out of place before he went to take off Ami's blindfold. Satisfied that the animals hadn't gotten to any of it, he turned his head back to face her.  
  
"Uh, just a forewarning, I'm not exactly dressed to the occasion." He said, hoping that she wouldn't get upset with him over it and trying to remind himself that she wasn't the type to do that.  
  
Ami would have blinked beneath her blindfold if her eyes weren't already closed. "What do you mean?" She asked, hearing him sigh before he took off the blindfold for her.  
  
She blinked her eyes a couple of times, trying to adjust to the dim lighting before she could focus on him. He was wearing his old Capsule corp clothes with his sword strapped to his back, looking a little guilty about it too. She instantly understood, smiling while he fidgeted. He just didn't have anything to wear for tonight.   
  
"Ami, I'm sorry about this but--"  
  
She silenced him with a quick kiss to the lips, smiling up at him lightly when they separated. "You look great." She said, calming his thoughts as he grinned down broadly at her. Glad that she wasn't mad at him as her fingers entwined in his.  
  
Ami then took a look at where Trunks had taken her, and she couldn't but gasp at the sight. It was just so beautiful!  
  
They were in a clearing near the lake, dark with the night but reflecting the moon beautifully for her to see while garden lamps hung in the surrounding trees and fireflies surrounded them. A small patio table with a white table clothe covering was just ahead on the grassy area with two chairs and plates set up with a picnic basket on the top.  
  
Trunks let go of her hands before walking over next to the table where he had a small stereo set up. He put a tape in and pressed the play button before some slow music came on.   
  
Ami couldn't help the bright smile on her face, knowing how much thought Trunks must have put into all this. Just for her.  
  
He grinned broadly when he stood back up, walking back towards her and stopping in front of her. Bowing a little before holding out his hands. "Care to dance, my princess?" He asked, the broad grin still in place.  
  
Ami laughed out loud, loving the treatment she was getting as she took his hands. "Of course, my prince." She said happily, playing along with his little game as he wrapped an arm around her waist and proceeded to dance with her.  
  
Ami was just in heaven at this point, leaning her head to rest on his chest as he led her around. "I feel a little bad now." She admitted.  
  
He blinked, looking down at her in confusion. "Huh? What for?" He asked.  
  
She looked back up at him. "For thinking that you forgot about Valentines day."  
  
"Oh." He said, trying to think about how he should word what else he had to say. "Look Ami," He started. "This is going to sound a little weird, but earlier today, when you were asking me about today, I really didn't know what you were talking about." He admitted.  
  
She blinked up at him. "Then, you did forget?" She asked, not hurt over it anymore, just surprised that he could forget about Valentines day and still have all this set up so fast.  
  
"Well, no, I just never heard of it before today." He explained. "There wasn't a Valentines day that I knew of back in my old world, so I really didn't know what you were talking about." He said, glad that she was listening without any traces of disbelief on her face. "After you left, Usagi, Darien and Minako had to explain to me what it was." He finished.  
  
Ami blinked up at him. "Really?" She asked, and he gave her a nod of his head.   
  
She leaned back into him, fighting off the urge to start snickering. "It must have been pretty confusing when we kept asking if you knew what day it was." She said, hoping that she didn't cause him too much discomfort with her questions. The poor thing must have thought she was insane!  
  
He chuckled. "Ya, _very_ confusing!" He said, still holding her close. "But I'm actually glad I found out about this holiday." He said.  
  
"Oh really? Why is that?" She asked, still holding him while they slow danced.  
  
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the ring box, they both stopped dancing when he did that, and Ami looked at it in slight shock as he opened it up for her to see the diamond ring inside. She gasped at the sight of it while Trunks simply chuckled at the look on her face, taking the ring out of the box to slip on her finger.  
  
"What do you think?" He asked hopefully while she looked at it in awe on her finger, looking as if she was getting ready to cry.  
  
"I-it's so beautiful." She said, much to Trunks' approval before quickly turning to him. "Oh, but you didn't have to get me a ring!" She cried out, afraid that he had spent far too much money on it.  
  
He grinned at her. "Well, we're getting married, so I had to get you one sooner or later. So why not now?" He asked, laughing out loud as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and proceeded to plant kisses all along his face.  
  
"Oh thank you so much!" She cried out, feeling bold and planting one last kiss on his lips that he happily complied to, deepening it as he held her close. The both of them only stopping when the need for air called their names.  
  
Ami was the first to speak. "I love you so much." She said, still fighting off her tears of happiness.  
  
Trunks brought a hand up to caress her beautiful face. "I love you too." He said sincerely. What would he do if he didn't have her in his life? Probably die, but right now they had just made it official that they really would be spending the rest of their lives together. And no thought has ever made him happier.   
  
_ **OWARI**_  
  
_**A.N:**_ Sorry that this story took so long to write up, but I just couldn't think of anything to do with them. So I think I'll dedicate this short story to everyone who reviewed **_Somewhere I Belong   
_**  
Review please!!


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